The choice of Northern Ireland for a British-US summit on Iraq on the eve of a deal to restore devolved government at Stormont will show Mr Bush and Mr Blair "making peace while making war", observers in Washington said last night
Recent progress towards peace in Northern Ireland gives the setting some symbolic importance as the US President and British Prime Minister plot a more peaceful post-war course for Iraq, White House officials said.
Mr Bush's press secretary, Mr Ari Fleischer, said the trip would focus on the war operations in Iraq, humanitarian relief efforts, reconstruction, and the peace process in Northern Ireland, as well as the Middle East.
"It is an opportunity to talk about the peace process in Northern Ireland," he told reporters. "That's something that the President has focused on previously and will talk about."
Asked if there was a symbolic value of picking Northern Ireland as a model for peace in other areas of ethnic strife such as the Middle East, Mr Fleischer said: "Well, certainly, there has been a successful peace process in Northern Ireland. It's an ongoing process. And we want to talk to them about that process. That's an interesting observation."
Asked where in Northern Ireland the two leaders will meet, Mr Fleischer replied: "Dublin", then hastily corrected himself: "I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I said 'Dublin'. I had written down Belfast and I said Dublin. Belfast."
It was agreed at Camp David last week that Mr Bush would make a return trip to the UK for the next war summit. The suggestion of Northern Ireland came from Mr Blair, sources said.
"It's a win-win situation for Bush, it's a win-win situation for Blair, and it's a win-win situation for the Northern Ireland peace process," said Republican Congressman, Peter King, who has been closely involved in the Northern peace process.
"Mr Bush is doing Mr Blair a favour by showing he is committed to the peace process - and it shows that Mr Blair can work with Mr Bush not just on Iraq."
The US President has not been closely identified with the deal-making in Northern Ireland, unlike his predecessor, Mr Bill Clinton.
However, the State Department special envoy to Northern Ireland, Mr Richard Haass, has maintained an informed dialogue with the North's party leaders on behalf of the Bush administration. The visit will underline the continuing role of the US as guardian of the peace process, diplomats said.
Logistics had been in the planning for several days but the trip was only announced late yesterday by Mr Fleischer.
By travelling to the North, Mr Bush will gain an edge in seeking the Irish-American vote in key states like Pennsylvania in the 2004 presidential election, Irish-Americans said. The decision comes at a time when Democratic Sen Hillary Clinton was becoming the most prominent advocate on Capitol Hill of US involvement in the North.
The Irish Voice newspaper in New York this week complained about "the rise of a particularly virulent strain of anti-Americanism" in some quarters in Ireland. It recalled the "huge cheering crowds" that turned out for President Clinton and speculated that, "If President Bush were to visit tomorrow, the same number of protesters would likely turn up."
Privately, some supporters of Sinn Féin in New York voice unhappiness with the party's strong anti-American line over Iraq, feeling that it will reduce the influence of the Republican movement among Irish-Americans and in an administration still willing to play a role.
At the summit, the North will take third place on the agenda. First will be a Bush-Blair discussion on Iraq. Mr Ahern will then join the two leaders during a meeting on the Middle East. Finally there will be a session in which Mr Bush, Mr Blair and Mr Ahern will meet the Northern Ireland party leaders.
In addition to receiving joint updates on the progress of the war, the British and US leaders will discuss the delivery of humanitarian aid and plans for Iraq's post-war reconstruction, especially the role of the United Nations, said Mr Fleischer.
Mr Blair wants the White House to agree to greater UN involvement but the US Defence Department is pressing ahead with plans to run the initial reconstruction phase alone.