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Protests feared as Bush preps for visit

February 16, 2011

By Staff Reporter

Bush will be in the Republic on June 25 and 26 for a U.S.-European Union summit that will mark the climax of the six-month Irish EU presidency.
Some of the groundwork for the visit was laid in Washington this week with a visit by Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen.
Cowen met Monday at the State Department with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
At a news conference following their meetings, Secretary Powell said that he hoped planned protests of President Bush’s visit to Ireland would not “ruin” the event.
“We understand that in democratic societies protests can occur,” Powell said. “We always hope that protests and demonstrations do not ruin the meeting or ruin the event, as has happened in the recent past.”
Cowen played down the potential of the protests and tried to focus on a positive theme.
“It will be a very substantive meeting that will improve the process,” he said in reference to the working relationship between the EU and U.S.
Cowen was accompanied on his visit by EU High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana, and External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten.
Powell said he was appreciative of Taoiseach Bertie Ahern’s recent admonition against potentially large-scale demonstrations.
“I think it’s quite appropriate for the taoiseach to give that kind of suggestion to those who might be protesting or demonstrating. But the president is very much looking forward to his visit, with or without protests,” Powell said.
In Dublin this week, the Green Party announced it would lead the campaign of protests against Bush’s visit.
Party chairman and foreign affairs spokesperson John Gormley said that discussions had already taken place with groups which had helped organize large-scale anti-war demonstrations a year ago. Gormley said that the June demonstrations would be peaceful and family friendly.
Meanwhile, no final site for the summit meeting has been announced. Irish government officials have indicated that it will not be in Dublin because of security concerns.
“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.
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 and 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. The White House staff hopes to eliminate scenes such as the one in London last November when thousands took to clogged streets to protest the Bush visit to the British capital.
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.
The taoiseach, meanwhile, has said that he is looking forward to helping to repair the rift between some European leaders, principally German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and French President Jacques Chirac, and the U.S. president.

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