The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, and the Palestinian Foreign Minister, Dr Nabil Shaath, have issued a joint appeal calling for the release of Irish-born aid worker Margaret Hassan who is being held hostage in Iraq.
The appeal, in English and in Arabic, will be broadcast on the Arabic TV station, Al Jazeera.
The Government has also been in discussion with the Egyptian and Jordanian governments, and with Arab League contacts, on the issue.
Mrs Hassan's Iraqi husband, Tahseen Ali Hassan, said he is cautiously optimistic that she will be released.
He again appealed for her release, and admitted he did not know if his wife was abducted for financial or political reasons.
Mrs Hassan was abducted by gunmen who stopped her car on her way to work in west Baghdad on Tuesday. She heads Care International's operations in Iraq.
