Ahern and Bush discuss Irish in US despite White House security alert

US PRESIDENT George Bush overruled his secret service yesterday to allow Taoiseach Bertie Ahern complete his engagements at the White House after an intruder had sparked a security alert.

The unidentified man scaled a wall on the northeast side of the White House grounds in mid-morning, as Mr Bush was meeting with the Taoiseach and Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern in the Oval Office.

Although the man was quickly apprehended, the incident prompted a security “lock-down”, in which all White House gates were closed.