President Clinton is expected to denounce the activities of dissident republicans when he visits Dundalk.
He is also expected to formally announce the outlawing of the "Real IRA" in the US and plans to prevent it from raising funds there.
The decision to outlaw under US law the "Real IRA", the group responsible for the Omagh bombing in August 1998, results from an agreement reached by the British, Irish and US governments last month.
The decision was made after the Irish and British governments received reports from the Garda Commissioner, Mr Pat Byrne, and the RUC Chief Constable, Sir Ronnie Flanagan, about the threat posed by the dissidents.
The report indicated there is a growing threat from the "Real IRA" and their allies in the Continuity IRA. It showed there had been more than 22 attacks launched by the two groups this year and that they are developing sophisticated terrorist skills.
The designation of the "Real IRA" as a terrorist organisation means US authorities will "aggressively" seek to thwart its activities in the US.
The Minister for Justice, Mr O'Donoghue, and the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Mr Peter Mandelson, reached agreement in November on the designation of the "Real IRA" under the provisions of the US Anti-Terrorism and Effective Death Penalty Act, 1996.
There had earlier been opposition to the proposal from some members of the Government, who thought outlawing the group would only serve to increase its public image.
The implementation of the "Real IRA's" proscription in the US was directed by the National Security Adviser, Mr Sandy Berger. A joint statement issued in Dublin and Belfast said the Garda Commissioner and the Chief Constable state that they have given serious consideration to the concern that designation could be counter-productive in that it could enhance the status of the "Real IRA".
However, they had concluded that "on balance it would make operational sense to have the organisation designated".
The "Real IRA" is already treated as a terrorist organisation by the US authorities. The effect of formal designation would be to make additional legal powers available to law enforcement officials in dealing with the group.
The "Real IRA" has been attempting to raise support and funding in the US but it is not believed it has yet succeeded in gaining much support. It receives most of its funding from criminal activities, including smuggling. A specific benefit of designation, according to the report received from the two police chiefs, is that it would provide a deterrent to the "Real IRA" in gathering financial support in the US.
President Clinton's visit to Dundalk has symbolic references, as the leadership of the "Real IRA" is based in and around the town. The man who leads the group lives just to the south of the town. The Omagh bomb was also planned and organised in the area. The bomb was constructed near Jonesboro, a village just across the Border about six miles north of Dundalk.
One of the three men who drove the car bomb to Omagh is from Co Armagh and has been living in Dundalk for some time.
After the Omagh bombing there was a considerable outrage in Dundalk against the dissident republicans. However, the "Real IRA" has emerged largely unscathed. It re-started its campaign in February this year and since then has carried out some 24 attacks, including three in London. It is closely allied with the Continuity IRA.
A number of eyes in Dundalk will not be on President Clinton when he starts to deliver his speech, but on the chair he will rise from on the podium, writes Judith Crosbie.
Local craftsman Mr Joe Lawler made the chairs, having got a call last Thursday that White House officials were on the look-out for six special seats. The chairs had lain unfinished from a previous order as the Christmas rush hit Mr Lawler and his workers at Architectural Furniture in Dundalk.