CHINA: Last week's Madrid bomb attacks will prompt greater solidarity among European countries in fighting terrorism, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, said during a visit to China.
She added that today's emergency meeting of EU justice ministers would aim to provide a framework for better co-operation between security forces.
"Clearly on one level it's an act of solidarity, of ministers having a special meeting in the light of the awful atrocity of last week," Ms Harney said during an eight-day visit to China to promote Irish science and technology.
"It's also about practical co-operation, exchanging intelligence, and working on a practical level between the different police forces to identify potential terrorists. Whatever practical steps we can do, we must do, because we all can be victims of this kind of terrorism.
"Intelligence gathering varies a lot from country to country so there might be ways of harmonising what's collected, how it's collected and making it available in an easily-understood fashion."
Ms Harney restated the Government line that Ireland was only on the periphery of the Iraq war, and did not support President Bush's decision to lead an armed invasion of Iraq. As such, Ireland was unlikely to be a central target.