THE US/IRELAND: Turkey's campaign for membership of the European Union is likely to be raised by the US side during a meeting today in Washington between the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen, and US Secretary of State Mr Colin Powell.
The agenda for the first bilateral meeting between Mr Cowen and Mr Powell for over a year is also expected to include Iraq, the Middle East and Northern Ireland.
The meeting was requested by Mr Cowen to coincide with a three-day visit to New York as Ireland nears the end of its two-year membership of the UN Security Council on December 31st.
The Bush administration has been intensely lobbying European countries to facilitate Turkey's entry into the European Union, in part return for Turkey's support for any war against Iraq. Turkey is not among the 10 states that have been promised formal dates to begin the membership process in Copenhagen on December 13th. Ireland's says it has no problems with Turkey joining the EU but that it has to fulfil conditions for entry in areas such as human rights and the rule of law.
Ireland will still have a central role to play on Iraq if, in the next five weeks, the US asks for UN Security Council support for an assault on Baghdad. The US has agreed to return to the Security Council in the event of any alleged material breach of Resolution 1441 mandating tough new weapons inspections, passed unanimously on November 8th.
However Mr Powell has said the US will not be "handcuffed" by the need for another resolution authorising force, while Ireland has formally stated at the Security Council that it is for the council to decide on any ensuing action.
Mr Cowen, who will be accompanied by a delegation from the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs Committee, will deliver a speech on "Peace and Security; Ireland and the UN". He will meet senior UN officials, including UN chief weapons inspector Dr Hans Blix on Wednesday, the day weapons inspections officially resume in Iraq.
The US special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mr Richard Haass, will accompany Mr Powell at today's meeting in Washington. The Irish side regard US support for new elections in Northern Ireland by May 1st as important, as well as Washington support for reform of policing.