The Government has refused to respond directly to claims by Fine Gael leader Mr John Bruton that it is lobbying US government officials not to designate the "Real IRA" a terrorist organisation under US law.
Mr Bruton said he was extremely concerned at the undenied reports of the lobbying and at the failure of the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, to respond to his concerns when he raised them in the Dail on Wednesday.
The "Real IRA" had so far not been designated as a terrorist organisation under US law and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, was reportedly lobbying to ensure this did not happen, he stated.
"The `Real IRA' have committed the single biggest crime in Irish history - the Omagh bombing. They are back in action and attempting to commit further crimes," said Mr Bruton. Mr Cowen said it was a matter of "regret and surprise" that Mr Bruton failed to inform himself of the facts before speaking out on such a serious issue.
"The Government has and will continue to take the strongest possible action against dissident republicans and it will be fully supportive of any further measures which will be effective in countering their activities," he said in a statement.
He said the Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, and the Northern Secretary, Mr Peter Mandelson, met on October 19th to examine a wide range of security issues.
"Both Ministers agreed to refer this particular issue to the Garda Commissioner and [RUC] Chief Constable for expert advice.
"If their advice is that designation by the US authorities would be helpful, the Government will not hesitate to take appropriate action," he said.