UNITED STATES: The agenda for US President George Bush's meeting in Ireland with EU leaders in June will include ways to "broaden our co-operation" in Iraq, Afghanistan and the Middle East, the White House announced yesterday.
The visit will also "underscore the importance of the relationship with all of our European partners, in an undivided transatlantic community," White House press secretary Mr Scott McClellan said in a statement.
"The President will travel to County Clare, Ireland, on June 25th, 2004," he went on. "He will participate in the US-EU summit on June 26th, 2004, and then travel to Ankara, Turkey for bilateral meetings on June 27th, 2004, before departing for the NATO summit in Istanbul, June 27th to 29th, 2004."
The announcement confirms reports that Mr Bush will spend a mere 12 hours in Ireland, that he will not visit Dublin, and that most of the time will be spent overnight in Dromoland Castle hotel before a two-hour EU-US summit chaired by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, the following morning.
"The United States and the European Union share a broad agenda of common interests and common values, and the President looks forward to intensifying our co-operation with Europe to make the world safer and better, striving to advance freedom, security and prosperity," Mr Scott said.
"The President and EU leaders will discuss ways to broaden our co-operation in Iraq, Afghanistan, and the Greater Middle East; expand our efforts to prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction and related materials; and deepen the Euro-Atlantic economic relationship."