The Minister for Foreign Affairs is to meet UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan in New York today where he is expected to suggest Ireland plays a central role in UN reform.
Mr Dermot Ahern, who is on a five-day visit to the United States, is understood to be anxious to press for an increased role for Ireland. He will argue that Ireland, as a neutral country, is seen as an honest broker in international relations.
The Minister is also expected to discuss the interim report on the Iraqi Oil for Food scandal and the UN summit in New York in September.
Mr Ahern will travel to Washington, DC, tomorrow for talks with US officials and politicians, including Senators Edward Kennedy, John McCain and Hillary Clinton.
He will also meet Congressman James Walsh, chairman of the Friends of Ireland group, and the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Congressman Dennis Hastert, who will host a St Patrick's Day lunch next month.
The main item on his itinerary is tomorrow's meeting with President George W. Bush's Special Envoy for Northern Ireland, Dr Mitchell Reiss.
The Minister will have talks tomorrow morning with Mr Andrew Natsios, head of the main official American development agency, USAID. The meeting is intended to improve Irish-US co-ordination in providing relief for victims of the Asian tsunami.
Mr Ahern yesterday promised to push for the rights of undocumented Irish immigrants. He met members of the Irish community at the Emerald Isle Immigrant Centre in Queens, New York.
Last year the Government donated €95,000 to the centre as part of an overall grant of €653,000 to Irish immigration groups in the United States.
Some 273 Irish citizens were deported from the United States between 2000 and 2004; Mr Ahern said he would do all he could to get members of the community a sympathetic hearing.