US SECRETARY of State Hillary Clinton will arrive in Ireland tomorrow afternoon for a two-day visit to Dublin and Belfast during which she will reaffirm bilateral ties and stress the Obama administration’s commitment to political progress and economic development in Northern Ireland.
Mrs Clinton’s visit is part of a week-long trip during which she will undertake official engagements in Switzerland, the United Kingdom and Russia.
Following her arrival at Dublin airport tomorrow, Mrs Clinton will travel to Farmleigh where she will hold meetings with Taoiseach Brian Cowen and Minister for Foreign Affairs Micheál Martin. Security will be tight and traffic restrictions are expected in the Phoenix Park. Mrs Clinton will make a courtesy call to President Mary McAleese at Áras an Uachtaráin before travelling on to Belfast.
On Monday morning, Mrs Clinton will meet First Minister Peter Robinson and Deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at Stormont Castle.
She is also due to address the Northern Ireland Assembly at Parliament Buildings. From there, Mrs Clinton will travel to Queens University in Belfast for meetings before making her way to City Hall where she will be welcomed by Mayor Naomi Long.
In a state department briefing this week, officials said Mrs Clinton’s visit to Dublin would reaffirm the ‘‘strong commitment to and ties with Ireland,”
The Obama administration recently appointed an economic envoy, Declan Kelly, to Northern Ireland.
‘‘We want to see trade and investment continue to provide jobs and opportunities for both sides of the Atlantic,” said Philip H Gordon, assistant secretary at the state department’s bureau of European and Eurasian affairs.
After Ireland, Mrs Clinton will travel on to Moscow.