The US President, Mr George W Bush, has nominated State Department policy planning director Mr Richard Haass to coordinate US policy on Northern Ireland.
Mr Haass will not carry the title of special envoy but will be an ambassador at large, a post requiring Senate confirmation, White House spokesman Mr Ari Fleischer said.
The move comes as part of a reassignment of priorities within the Bush administration, including moving responsibility for Northern Ireland from the White House to the State Department.
The Bush administration has been trying to curb the proliferation of special envoy posts, eliminating 23 of 55 existing positions earlier this month, including the high-profile Middle East portfolio.
The announcement came as Bush held a private lunch with the Taoiseach Mr Bertie Ahern and House Majority Leader Mr Dennis Hastert in honor of St. Patrick's Day.
Later, Mr Bush said the meeting with Mr Ahern went well and he looked forward to another one on Friday.
"We'll be discussing the Good Friday agreement, what I can do to help. We'll be reaffirming our trade with Ireland," Mr Bush said.
AFP