Taoiseach Bertie Ahern sets off today for the annual St Patrick's Day trip to the United States amid optimism over the Northern Ireland peace process.
During his four-day visit, he will meet President Bush, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon and other senior political and business figures.
Mr Ahern's first engagement will be a business breakfast in New York, after which he will meet Mr Ban at the United Nations headquarters.
While in New York, the Taoiseach is also scheduled to visit the Twin Towers Memorial Centre in Manhattan and meet the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, which campaigns on behalf of the thousands of undocumented Irish in the United States.
He will also deliver a lecture to the Council on Foreign Relations, which is headed by former presidential envoy for Northern Ireland, ambassador Richard Haass.
The Taoiseach and his entourage will then travel to Washington DC tomorrow evening, where he will attend the American-Ireland Fund National Gala.
On Thursday, Mr Ahern will have a series of meetings on Capitol Hill, including talks with Ms Clinton, Senator Edward Kennedy and the Friends of Ireland Group in Congress.
He is expected to meet President Bush during a lunch hosted by the speaker of House of Representatives, Democratic congresswoman Nancy Pelosi. Mr Ahern will then brief members of the Ireland-US Economic Advisory Board on the situation in Northern Ireland and on the Irish economy.
The Taoiseach will visit the White House on Friday for the traditional presentation of shamrock to Mr Bush, before holding talks with him in the Oval office. The two leaders are expected to discuss Northern Ireland, immigration and other issues.
Mr Ahern will return to Ireland on Friday evening.
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