The Romanian authorities would work to ensure that "the best interests" of Mihaela Prumbaru were protected following the decision last night to let her stay in Ireland, the Romanian embassy in Dublin declared.
It is still unclear how long the girl will be allowed to remain, or if the Hughes family can take her for paediatric medical appointments arranged before the custody dispute arose.
She had been allowed to travel to Ireland on a holiday visa, said an embassy official, and not one that allowed her to undergo medical treatment. The orphanage would have to give consent for medical treatment.
A legal issue would arise if Mihaela had treatment without such consent and if anything went wrong, the official said. The Hughes family had only good intentions towards the child, he acknowledged.
"I think there has been a misunderstanding here between the two non-governmental organisations. The legal framework in these situations is very complex," said the official, who spent much of yesterday explaining the background of the case to superiors in Bucharest.
Following criticism from the European Parliament and others about its adoption regulations, Romania banned foreigners from adopting children for 12 months from June 21st this year.
The Minister for Social, Community and Family Affairs, Mr Ahern, who represents the Louth constituency, was closely involved yesterday in efforts to resolve the difficulties.
