The Taoiseach has said there is no justification for holding, or for hurting, the Irish born hostage Margaret Hassan who was kidnapped in Iraq yesterday.
Mrs Hassan, 59, is Head of Operations in Iraq for aid group Care International. She also holds dual British and Iraqi citizenship.
The group behind the kidnapping has not identified itself and has issued no communication today.
In an interview with RTÉ News, Mr Ahern welcomed the unanimous Dáil vote calling for her release, saying it was important to 'stand up for our own'.
He said Margaret Hassan was an Irish person, but more importantly she was a humanitarian aid worker, who was helping people.
The Taoiseach added her friends had made it clear that it was very important for it to be known that she was an Irish person.
Mr Ahern told the Dáil that Government officials were doing all they could to secure her release.
During a special debate on Mrs Hassan's kidnapping, Bertie Ahern said the Government has been in contact with her husband as well as her family in Ireland. It was also liasing with the British government on the issue, he added.
Mrs Hassan was abducted as she was being driven to work west of Baghdad.
Earlier, Mr Ahern said that 'all diplomatic channels' were open in an effort to secure her freedom.
Talks between Murphy and Ahern
This afternoon, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dermot Ahern, and Northern Secretary, Paul Murphy, said they were doing their utmost to try to secure her release.
Mr Ahern said Mrs Hassan's family in Ireland have requested that the media respect their privacy.
Care International suspends work
Care International has said it is taking every possible step to secure Mrs Hassan's release.
Although the agency has suspended its work in Iraq, it has set up a special team of senior staff to deal with the situation.
In a statement, the charity said all relevant avenues were being pursued but it would not be helpful or appropriate to detail the steps that were being taken.
The kidnapped woman's husband, Tahseen Ali Hassan, has told Arab TV station Al Jazeera that she had never received any threats because, as he put it, she was loved by all Iraqis.
