FIRST LADY Laura Bush arrived for an engagement in Belfast city centre shortly after she had landed in Northern Ireland yesterday.
The couple were welcomed by British prime minister Gordon Brown and his wife, Sarah, at RAF Aldergrove.
The two women went from the RAF base to the city centre, escorted by 12 cars and 12 motorcycle outriders, while their husbands went to Stormont for a series of meetings with First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness.
The motorcade drove to the city centre amid tight security, which included the closure of key routes into Belfast.
Mrs Bush and Mrs Brown were welcomed to the Community Foundation for Northern Ireland by social development minister Margaret Ritchie, the only SDLP minister in the Executive.
They talked to members of the Youthbank scheme which helps young people between 16 and 25 in a range of skills, including distributing government grants to community projects.
During the visit, Mrs Bush observed an experimental grant application and the students were hoping she would take part in it.
The first lady said she was interested in the foundation’s activities but she did not take part in the experimental “vote” to allocate grants.
She said she was very impressed by the young people’s industry and imagination which was supporting the development of the social economy.
Mrs Brown asked several questions about the project and was particularly interested in the numbers of grant applications accepted and rejected.
Mrs Bush (62), who holds a BA in education studies and a master’s degree in librarian sciences from the University of Texas, has said it is her dream that every child could read.
She has also been a strong supporter of the No Child Left Behind Act enacted in 2002 by the Bush administration.
The Act is aimed at raising educational standards throughout the US with an increased focus on literacy skills.
Even though the Act has been strongly criticised in America for being under-funded and on account of its rigidity, Mrs Bush has defended it.
She regards it as a “historic act and excellent legislation”.
As with previous US administrations, the presidential couple are strong supporters of integrated education in Northern Ireland.
In the US they have also lent their support to faith-based schools.