Consulate General opening a strategic move, says Taoiseach

TAOISEACH BRIAN Cowen yesterday described the Government's decision to open a Consulate General in Atlanta as "a very strategic, long-term development".

After meeting with Governor Sonny Perdue in the state capitol building, Mr Cowen said: "The fact that we are doing it in difficult times is noted by the people here as an indication of sincerity."

Mr Cowen's three-day visit to New York and Atlanta was intended to pre-position Ireland for better days.

"The message I'm hearing from major companies is they're asking . . . where is the whole thing going to be when this (recession) pans out," Mr Cowen said.

The Taoiseach said that throughout his US meetings he had been emphasising the State's commitment to the 12.5 per cent corporation tax rate.

"It's part of our investment strategy. I made the point that we are committed to developing Ireland as a business-friendly location . . . that even though it's tough times, we're out developing the strategy we devised."

Ambassador Michael Collins advocated the establishment of a Consulate General to serve the US southeast in his March 2009 strategic review. Atlanta is the first new Irish consulate in the US since the 1930s.

Consul General Paul Gleeson will be assisted by one or two local staff and will concentrate on business contacts and outreach to the substantial Scots-Irish community. More than 20 per cent of the estimated 41 million Irish-Americans are Scots-Irish. Their strong presence in the American south was reflected in the Taoiseach's frequent references yesterday to Northern Ireland and the peace process.

The Atlanta Consulate will adopt a more streamlined approach than long-established Consulates in New York, Boston, Chicago and San Francisco. It may serve as a model for a future diplomatic mission in Houston, a centre of the US medical industry.

"The Consulate establishes a deeper and more permanent link with the Irish government and the Irish people," said Kevin Conboy, a lawyer and president of the Atlanta chapter of the Irish Chamber of Commerce USA, which hosted a lunch for 150 mostly Irish-American guests, at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Peach Tree Street.

Mr Conboy noted that Ivan Houlihan and Bernard Smith are already full-time representatives of the IDA here. "Having Consul General Gleeson is just another strong link in a chain that's getting bigger and stronger all the time."

There are 65 foreign consulates and trade missions in Atlanta, a member of the local chamber of commerce noted.

Atlanta, a city of eight million people, is global HQ to Coca-Cola, DHL and CNN, as well as the hub for Delta airlines. It is also the US HQ for Ireland's biggest firm, CRH.

Mr Cowen spent much of yesterday morning with Coca-Cola, which employs 550 people in Ballina, Drogheda, Athy and Wexford, where a new research and development centre costing €300 million is scheduled to open next month.

"Coca-Cola is very happy with their plants in Ireland," Mr Cowen said. "There is a growing Coca-Cola investment profile in Ireland, I wanted to acknowledge that. The IDA stand ready to talk to them about any further investment plans they have."

Mr Cowen called on Don Keough, the retired chief executive officer of Coca-Cola.

In the afternoon, Mr Cowen met CNN's editorial board and Atlanta's mayor, Kasim Reed.