Extra security measures have been put in place at Farmleigh House in Dublin in preparation for the visit to Ireland next weekend of the Chinese Premier, Mr Zhu Rongji. Razor wire has been fitted to the perimeter walls of the 78-acre property, and new closed-circuit television cameras have been installed.
Mr Zhu will be the first foreign dignitary to stay at Farmleigh, a former home of the Guinness family which cost the State £41 million (#52 million) to buy and renovate. It was officially opened last month.
Ms Mary Heffernan, project manager at the Phoenix Park residence, said the extra measures were "purely short-term", and the heavy security wire would be removed as soon as the State visit was over.
"We are working very closely with senior gardai who are taking this trip extremely seriously," she said.
"They feel what they have done is correct and appropriate in this case. This is the level of security they have insisted on and we have to go with that. But the moment he [Mr Zhu] leaves, we will be taking it [the wire] down.
"This is what we have to do in the short term. The whole thing may be reviewed the next time to see if this is needed to the same degree."
The extra lighting and cameras which have been installed would not in any way be obtrusive, she said.
The house, which had more than 10,000 visitors in the first two weekends since its opening, was closed a fortnight ago to allow gardai carry out a sweep of the grounds and put in place the security measures.
Ms Heffernan said it would be reopened to the public for weekend visits next month.
A Garda spokesman declined to comment on the security operation other than saying that an up-to-date, state-of-the-art security system had been put in place.
Mr Zhu is due to arrive in Dublin at about 2 p.m. on Sunday when, after being greeted by the Taoiseach, he will be taken to Farmleigh for a two-night stay.
On Sunday evening he will attend a State dinner at Kilmainham where dancers from the Riverdance show will perform.
The Taoiseach and Cabinet will hold a series of meetings at Farmleigh next Monday. The Minister for Arts, Heritage, Gaeltacht and the Islands, Ms de Valera, is due to sign a cultural agreement with her Chinese counterpart, after which a press conference will take place.
Later on Monday Mr Zhu will meet the President, Mrs McAleese, at Aras an Uachtarain and other dignitaries at the Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge, where most of his 170-strong entourage will stay. A dinner at Dublin Castle is planned for the evening.
The following day Mr Zhu will attend a morning briefing with Enterprise Ireland and then fly to Co Kerry on a chartered Aer Lingus jet. He is due to meet officials from Shannon Development and a Killorglin company, Fexco, which has business interests in China, before a private dinner and overnight stay at the Hotel Europe in Killarney.
Mr Zhu is due to fly back to Dublin on Wednesday, September 5th, and onwards to Brussels.
