Taoiseach Bertie Ahern confirmed last week that the two governments are in the final stages of planning for a meeting between European leaders and the president, which will not take place in Dublin.
“We expect that we will have an EU-U.S. summit here. As of now, it is definitely intended to go ahead. There isn’t a date or a location,” Ahern told reporters last week.
It is considered likely that Bush will arrive at Shannon Airport for his first trip to the Republic. The use of Shannon by American military planes has been controversial since the run-up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq last year.
Dromoland Castle in Clare or Ashford Castle in Mayo are among the locations believed to be contenders to host the summit.
Bush’s advance team has developed a firm guide for such international presidential visits. The plan emphasizes “remote” locations without easy access to public transportation. White House staff hope to eliminate scenes such as the one in London last November when thousands took to clogged streets to protest his visit and the United States’ occupation of Iraq.
The summit will take place most likely in May or the end of June.
The White House will look to the paradigm developed for last June’s G-8 Summit in Evian, France, where the press and protesters were kept miles away from the actual gathering of world leaders and a fair distance from a large city.
Just this week, the White House finalized many of the details for the G-8 summit to be held this June on Sea Island, just off the coast of Savannah, Ga. The press will be housed literally 80 miles and a boat ride away from the leaders. The island location means protesters will have very little chance of even getting a glimpse of the heads of state in attendance.
The taoiseach has said he looked forward to helping to repair the rift between some European leaders including German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac and the U.S. president over the war. Now his staff is doing everything it can to make this a smooth visit.
“This isn’t like when we planned for Bill Clinton to make his address in Stephen’s Green,” said one Irish official who remained tightlipped on where the summit might finally be located.