The last obstacles to the adoption of Chinese babies by Irish couples appear to have been removed at a meeting in Beijing between the Minister for the Marine, Dr Woods, and the Chinese Minister for Civil Affairs, Mr Doje Cering.
"Adoptions have been given the green light, and Chinese officials are now going to allow adoptions to Ireland," said Dr Woods, following a meeting on Thursday with Mr Doje Cering and a senior Chinese Foreign Affairs official, Mr Xu Lingen.
Last year International Orphan Aid in Ireland succeeded in a Supreme Court action in getting the Irish Adoption Board to recognise Chinese adoptions, but bureaucratic delays over clarification have prevented routine adoptions going ahead.
Dr Woods last night telephoned the managing director of Irish Orphan Aid, Ms Sally Keaveney, to inform her of his conversation with Mr Doje.
"We are completely and utterly elated," said Ms Keaveney afterwards from the organisation's Dublin base. "Up to today we were in the depths of despair."
She said five couples had processed documents for adoptions, another 12 sets of documents were ready, and inquiries were coming into Irish Orphan Aid at the rate of 10 to 15 a week from people anxious to adopt Chinese babies.
Ms Keaveney predicted that once the door opened in China, there would be many more applications as there were practically no babies for adoption in Ireland, and other countries, such as Romania and Guatemala, were closing their doors.
One couple, who had the paperwork completed two years ago, were told in April that a baby had been identified for them in a Chinese orphanage but have since been reduced to despair by the lack of progress, she said.
Chinese officials dealing with the issue in the Ministry of Civil Affairs' social affairs bureau had been seeking clarification of the legal position before allowing routine adoptions. They were still concerned about the original ruling by the Adoption Board not to allow Chinese adoptions because of a Chinese law which allows natural parents to reclaim a child in certain extreme circumstances. The Supreme Court decided that this was never likely to happen.
Chinese officials have told the Irish Embassy, after it had supplied clarification from the Adoption Board, that they needed a decision from the top in the Ministry of Civil Affairs. Dr Woods said Mr Doje had told him this would now be forthcoming.
An embassy official, Mr Frank O'Donoghue, explained: "The Chinese side said they were now happy with the assurance they have from the Irish Adoption Board in writing that Irish Law recognises the validity of Chinese adoption orders from the date of notarisation in China."
Dr Woods said the apparent breakthrough demonstrated the value of contact at the highest level between the two governments, something which had been lacking for three years. Ms Keaveney thanked Dr Woods and the Irish and Chinese officials.
The Minister travelled to China's major fishing port of Dalien yesterday, the fourth day of a week-long visit to China, at the head of an Irish fisheries delegation. He returns to Dublin tomorrow.