Fine Gael and Labour have both reacted coolly to a proposal from Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern for all political parties to sign up to an anti-sectarianism pledge.
Speaking yesterday in Dundalk, Co Louth, the Minister said politicians should agree a declaration to ensure that "by our words or our deeds we would not in anyway inflame a situation".
Politicians need to be conscious of the impact that their statements can have, particularly in the run-up to the loyalist marching season in Northern Ireland, he said.
Surprised by the Minister's actions, a Fine Gael spokesman said his party "had for decades pursued an inclusive, non-divisive approach to politics, at a time when not every political party" followed.
"We happily support the ambition behind the proposal but we see no need to sign a protocol about an issue that is integral to the Fine Gael party," he told The Irish Times.
However, the Labour Party said all parties had signed up to an anti-racism pledge before the 2002 general election that included a commitment not to make any negative remarks about religious beliefs.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern signed on behalf of Fianna Fáil, joined by the then Fine Gael leader, Michael Noonan, the then Labour Party leader, Ruairí Quinn, and Green Party leader Trevor Sargent.
Former minister of state Liz O'Donnell signed on behalf of the Progressive Democrats, while Sinn Féin chairman Mitchell McLaughlin had signed on behalf of his party.
The five-point protocol required signatories to send a "consistent and clear" message to constituents that they reject racism, and to condemn any campaign material or statement that could possibly incite hatred or express prejudice on grounds of race, gender and religion.
A Labour spokesman said last night the Minister "seemed to have forgotten" that the 2002 pledge covered anti-sectarianism, adding that Labour did not want a dispute with him on the issue.
"It isn't the sort of thing that we are against but we already signed up to this, so we are a bit surprised that he doesn't seem to remember it," the spokesman said.
Praising the 2002 anti-racism pledge, the Minister for Foreign Affairs said: "Perhaps it is time that all parties in the North and, indeed, in the South signed up to a political protocol on sectarianism."
"A declaration, that politicians or political parties will not resort to the gratuitous, populist narrative of Catholic versus Protestant or unionist versus nationalist for political gain.
"A powerful message from political leaders, throughout the island, that sectarianism is just not on. I'm not talking about ignoring the very real injustice, isolation, alienation and terror of the past.
"I'm talking about a clear political statement that those who rioted in Dublin, those who have attacked families in the North for no other reason than their religion or their political beliefs are wholly without legitimacy and open to nothing but condemnation," he said.
