Taoiseach Bertie Ahern and Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern will meet the new US special envoy to Northern Ireland in Dundalk today.
Paula Dobriansky is accompanying current envoy Mitchell Reiss on a visit to Ireland. Mr Reiss is due to step down after almost three years in the post.
Speaking ahead of the meeting, the Taoiseach paid tribute to what he said was the positive role played by Mr Reiss.
"The involvement of successive US administrations in the peace process has been an invaluable asset to us over many years," he said.
"In his role as special envoy on Northern Ireland since 2004, Ambassador Reiss has shown great ability, commitment and determination in working with the two Governments and the parties in Northern Ireland.
The Taoiseach also welcomed Dr Dobriansky to Ireland and said he looked forward to continuing and building on the "excellent relationships the Government has enjoyed with all of her predecessors".
Dr Dobriansky is a prominent neo-conservative intellectual who is undersecretary of state for democracy and global affairs in the US.
She was a founding member of the Project for the New American Century, a neo-conservative think-tank, and signed a letter in 1998 that called on then-president Bill Clinton to remove Saddam Hussein from power, by force if necessary.