President Bush will arrive in Co Clare this evening for a major EU/US Summit meeting as efforts to repair the damaged transatlantic relationship continue to be overshadowed by violence in Iraq. Mark Brennock, Chief Political Correspondent, reports
As over 100 people were killed in Iraq yesterday, tomorrow's meeting will seek to move on from the divisions on Iraq and stress the common European and American desire to see stability return to that country.
Last night President Bush responded to the strong opposition to his Iraq policy in Ireland and elsewhere in Europe, insisting that he would not have embarked on the invasion if he did not think it would "make the world a better place".
He said that when he arrived in Ireland this evening "I can turn to my friend Bertie Ahern and say thank you, thanks for helping and I appreciate it very much."
President Bush will arrive in Shannon Airport at 8.15 p.m. and will travel to Dromoland Castle, where he will be greeted by the Taoiseach.
In an interview on RTÉ's Prime Time last night, Mr Bush said Irish people should not see the evidence of ill-treatment of prisoners in Iraq as representative of US policy.
"I hope the Irish people understand the great values of our country, and if they think a few soldiers represent the entire of America they don't really understand America.
"If they say this is what America represents, they don't understand our country."
Mr Ahern will lead the EU delegation tomorrow morning at the summit which will discuss Iraq, the Middle East and other areas of difference as well as efforts to further develop transatlantic economic and trade links.
The Taoiseach will also have a separate meeting with President Bush tomorrow, representing the Government rather than the EU. Mr Ahern will report to Mr Bush on today's talks in London designed to prepare the ground for a further push for political agreement in the autumn.
Government sources say he will also put the Irish, as opposed to the EU, view on foreign policy issues such as the treatment of prisoners in Iraq and Guantanamo Bay and the Middle East.
President Bush suggested last night that there were not major differences between the US and Europe over Iraq, but just with France.
France had opposed the US position but "most of Europe supported the decision on Iraq. Most European countries are very supportive and are participating in the reconstruction of Iraq". Despite sharp differences of approach to the Middle East, the EU and US will tomorrow stress their common interest in achieving a peaceful stable solution.
Some 4,000 gardaí and 2,000 troops were deployed around Shannon Airport and Dromoland Castle last night, along with a range of military equipment and vehicles including Scorpion tanks. Anti-war campaigners said the tanks were entirely inappropriate for the task of dealing with protesters, and demanded that they be withdrawn.
Tomorrow's meeting will see the signing of a declaration on strengthening the EU/US economic partnership.
However, among the issues to be discussed is a European threat to impose over $4 billion worth of sanctions on the US in response to Washington's flouting of world trade rules by offering advantages to American companies abroad.
Today, on the eve of the summit, the Tánaiste, Ms Harney, the US Commerce Secretary Mr Donald Evans and the EU Enterprise Commissioner, Mr Jan Figel will meet chief executives of over a dozen of the world's biggest companies in Adare, Co Limerick.
They will discuss the implications for business of the increased terrorist threat, and concerns over the possibility that new anti-terrorist security restrictions could damage trade.
The President, Mrs McAleese, will travel to Dromoland Castle to meet Mr Bush tomorrow morning. Because Mr Bush is not visiting Dublin, Mrs McAleese will occupy a suite at Dromoland Castle, where President Bush will visit her.