February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
It will be President Bush’s first visit to the Republic since entering the White House, though he did visit the North last year. His visit is part of a joint European Union, U.S. summit.
Ireland currently holds the presidency of the EU and Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will be hosting a bilateral meeting with the president only a week after securing agreement on a new EU constitution.
The stalled Northern peace process is unlikely to feature heavily during President Bush’s 18-hour stay despite a call by Democratic presidential hopeful John Kerry that he exert “presidential leadership” on the issue.
It is likely, however, that Ahern’s success in Europe will be marred by protests against Bush. Over 100,000 Irish people took to the streets last year in protest at the war in Iraq and the Irish government’s decision to allow U.S. warplanes to refuel in Shannon airport.
The Stop Bush Campaign has predicted that thousands of Irish people will again mount protests this Saturday morning as the President holds talks with Ahern and other senior EU figures in Dromoland Castle in County Clare.
Protesters began gathering near the area Tuesday and set up a so-called “peace camp” in Limerick. Defence Forces began digging in around Shannon airport and are preparing to put in a place a ring-of-steel-type security cordon.
The president will be protected by a heavy security operation involving up to 6,000 Gardai and members of the defense forces. An additional 1,000 U.S. and private security personnel will also be involved in the operation.
Lawyers and clergy have joined the growing list of pressure groups concerned at President Bush’s visit.
A group of 176 lawyers criticized the decision to host Bush, accusing the president of using the visit to promote his electoral chances later this year.
“The issue is that Bush is coming here to use Ireland as a photo opportunity for his reelection — the Irish people need to do something about that,” said Giollaiosa O Lideadha, one of the lawyers who signed a statement protesting Bush’s visit.
One senior counsel has said that Bush should be arrested by gardai when he lands if it is proven he had knowledge that Iraqi prisoners were being tortured. Fergal Kavanagh QC said that as Ireland had incorporated the UN Convention against Torture Act, any individual proven to have been complicit in the torture of prisoners could be convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Religious representatives from the Christian, Muslim and Buddhist faiths have all planned protests against Bush’s stay. Fr. Frank Brady of the NGO Peace Alliance said: “George Bush is portraying the American people as dishonest, deceitful and untrustworthy. I don’t think that that is fair. I think we need to protest and raise our voices.”
The visit has been welcomed however by the American Chamber of Commerce in Ireland, which believes it will be a fitting celebration of the good relations between Ireland and the U.S.
Chief executive Joanne Richardson said the U.S. had played a crucial role in developing the modern Irish economy and that the visit would be a good opportunity to “get transatlantic business back on track.”