US president George Bush will attend the US-EU summit in Ireland on June 25th and 26th, it was confirmed today.
A Bush visit to Ireland had been widely expected during the Irish presidency of the European Union, which ends in June.
A location for the summit has not yet been announced. Earlier this month, the Taoiseach Mr Ahern hinted that the summit might not take place in the capital.
There will almost certainly be anti-Bush demonstrations and gardaí will be anxious to keep the president far away from any hostile crowds. That would suggest a non-urban location, one which could be sealed off.
The Green Party was critical of the visit. Party chairman, Mr John Gormley said: "Mr Bush would no doubt like to use the visit to garner Irish American votes for his re-election campaign. The Green Party will ensure that his visit is a public relations disaster.
"It is now 20 years since the visit of Ronald Reagan, which roused so many Irish people to engage in protest. I guarantee that the level of protest on this occasion will be much greater."
Responding to the news, Dublin Labour MEP, Mr Proinsias De Rossa, described the visit as "an affront to the 100,000 Irish people who - just under a year ago - marched against US aggression in Iraq".
He said the EU-US summit should be moved to Brussels.
