The Taoiseach will travel to the US today for the annual St Patrick's Day visit. He will meet President Bush later in the week after a number of engagements in Washington and San José, California.
Mr Ahern will travel first to San José where he will participate in celebrations to mark the 20th anniversary of the city's twinning with Dublin during his term as lord mayor of the Irish capital.
The Taoiseach will address the "Spirit of Ireland" dinner in the company of the current mayor of Dublin, Cllr Catherine Byrne, and the mayor of San José, Ron Gonzales.
He will also have a number of meetings with business people in Silicon Valley, including the chief executive of Hewlett Packard at the company headquarters in Palo Alto.
A number of announcements are expected after planned meetings with Enterprise Ireland clients and IDA guests.
The Taoiseach will travel from San José to Washington DC, where he will participate in the traditional presentation of a bowl of shamrock to President Bush on St Patrick's Day.
The Taoiseach and President Bush will meet in the Oval Office for discussions on Northern Ireland, immigration reform and a range of current international issues.
Mr Ahern will attend a series of key meetings on Capitol Hill, and together with President Bush will attend the Speaker's Lunch on March 16th.
He will also meet the Irish Lobby for Immigration Reform, and brief members of the Ireland-US Economic Advisory Board on the situation in Northern Ireland, and on the Irish economy.
While in Washington the Taoiseach will also attend the American-Ireland Fund National Gala.
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