The Minister for Foreign Affairs will meet the Algerian President this morning before returning to Dublin after a 36-hour, fact-finding mission to the country. Mr Andrews' meeting with President Liamin Zeroual follows a series of political meetings yesterday in Algiers.
His visit to Algeria was organised on his own initiative with the intention of "expressing the concerns of the Irish Government at the situation and expressing the EU position", according to a spokesman for the Department of Foreign Affairs.
The trip has been welcomed as "very useful" by Mr Jacques Poos, the Foreign Minister of Luxembourg, which currently holds the EU Presidency. Mr Andrews is expected to give the presidency a report on his visit.
The visit follows a meeting last month between Mr Andrews and the Algerian ambassador during which he said he was "willing to explore how he and the EU could become involved" in seeking a peaceful settlement to that country's bloody civil war, according to a spokeswoman for the Department.
At that meeting Mr Andrews had expressed an interest in having talks with the Algerian Foreign Minister, Mr Ahemed Attaf. Yesterday he met Mr Attaf and expressed his and the European Union's desire to facilitate a peaceful settlement to the civil war.
Mr Andrews in his meetings expressed views in broad accord with principles agreed at an informal meeting of EU foreign ministers in October, according to a spokesman. Those include a condemnation of violence; encouragement of President Zeroual to have talks with parties who renounce violence; support for fundamental freedoms and human rights; and willingness to send a special envoy to study the crisis and express the EU's concerns.
As well as meeting Mr Attaf, Mr Andrews had discussions with the chairman of Algeria's national assembly, Mr Abdel Kader Ben Salah, and a number of non-Islamist members of the parliamentary opposition. He was also expected to meet EU ambassadors yesterday evening.