  We investigate the possibility of realising effective quantum gates between
two atoms in distant cavities coupled by an optical fibre. We show that highly
reliable swap and entangling gates are achievable. We exactly study the
stability of these gates in presence of imperfections in coupling strengths and
interaction times and prove them to be robust. Moreover, we analyse the effect
of spontaneous emission and losses and show that such gates are very promising
in view of the high level of coherent control currently achievable in optical
cavities.
