The President, Mrs McAleese, told President Bush of the "disquiet" of many Irish and European people at US policy in Iraq, a spokeswoman said yesterday.
She also warned that there was a "disconnect" between some world leaders and their people on the issue, the spokeswoman said. While political leaders had "true conviction" on the issue, this was not always shared by their people, and a better connection and communication between leaders and people was required.
During a half-hour meeting in advance of the EU/US Summit, Mrs McAleese told the US President that the public disquiet was about both the war in Iraq and the subsequent treatment of Iraqi prisoners in the Abu Ghraib prison. The spokeswoman said she said she was making these points because Ireland and the US were "good friends" and that President Bush would be hearing of these concerns from others.
She said the Irish people "shared in the shock and disappointment of the American people" at events at Abu Ghraib. She was satisfied that the Bush administration was taking the matter very seriously.
They discussed both the links between Ireland and the US, and Europe and the US. They also talked about the economy, with Mrs McAleese remarking on the US contribution to Ireland's economic development. She also remarked on the two-way trade between Ireland and the US, which has seen many successful Irish businesses operating in the US.
The President thanked Mr Bush for the US administration's ongoing support for the peace process, including the appointment early this year of Mr Mitchell Reiss as his special envoy to Ireland. Mr Bush remarked on the President's own encouragement of the peace process, according to the spokeswoman.
Mrs McAleese said she believed the Government was doing well, as the holder of the rotating EU Presidency, in the task of reaffirming the transatlantic relationship. They also had a brief discussion on the Middle East.