The Tánaiste has accused hardline anti-establishment campaigners of trying to build an anti-American climate in Ireland by exploiting genuine humanitarian concerns of peaceful protesters against war in Iraq.
In her first major intervention in the debate on Ireland's position on a possible war, Ms Harney condemned "hardline anti-Nice people, anti-establishment people" who were "anti- the United Nations, anti-Europe and anti-American. Some of them belong to the left of the political process."
Her comments were condemned by anti-war campaigners who accused her of being "out of touch".
Labour's foreign affairs spokesman, Mr Michael D. Higgins, claimed Ms Harney had described the 100,000 who protested against war last Saturday as anti-American, although she had stressed she was not doing so. He denounced her remarks as an attempt to smear those who had marched.
Her remarks were an attempt to hide "the chasm between the large majority of the population in this State and the Government policy on Iraq," Socialist Party TD Mr Joe Higgins said.
Mr Richard Boyd Barrett, chairman of the Irish Anti-War Movement which organised the protest, called Ms Harney's comments "utter nonsense and a disgraceful response from a discredited Government".
Ms Harney made her comments in a speech in Limerick and in an interview on RTÉ's News at One yesterday. She strongly objected to any US attempt to act without a new UN resolution.
"If every country adopted a position that no matter what the UN decides, we are going to go it alone, then I think the UN would become totally and utterly ineffective."
However, she implied Ireland would be obliged to support a war should there be a second UN resolution authorising it. If Ireland was committed to the UN, it was a case of "in for a penny, in for a pound".
While hers was among the most directly worded Government intervention, she adhered to the Government stance of stressing the primacy of the United Nations while emphasising the State's close ties with the US.
She stressed she was not questioning the sincerity of "the thousands of people who marched, who are genuinely concerned about human rights and like myself don't want a war.
"The extreme left in Ireland has always been virulently anti-American and anti-EU and they want their ideas to infect more of the centre-ground," she said.
She also condemned the "stoking up of hostility to the British Prime Minister, Tony Blair, here in Ireland. Tony Blair has been a great friend of Ireland . . . He has also constructively used his moderating influence in Washington by working with the Americans."
The chairman of the Green Party, Mr John Gormley, said: "The Green Party is totally opposed to war against Iraq but we are certainly not anti-American. The majority of US citizens do not support a war without a UN mandate, does this make them anti-American?"
Meanwhile, the US defence secretary, Mr Donald Rumsfeld, claimed US-led forces were ready to go to war with Iraq, despite growing evidence that protracted diplomatic negotiations with Washington's reluctant allies had set back military readiness.
The US and its allies had "ample" forces in place if President Bush decided to go to war, Mr Rumsfeld said.
Turkey yesterday meanwhile appeared to edge closer to allowing US troops a base. The Prime Minister,Mr Abdullah Gul, said there were still differences on a key financial compensation package and other issues. - (Additional reports Guardian service)