Bush creates new position to co-ordinate Northern policy

US President George W Bush is creating a new position to co-ordinate policy for Northern Ireland.

An administration official said the White House is expected to name Richard Haass, director of policy planning at the State Department, to take on Northern Ireland as part of a much broader portfolio.

The White House traditionally has taken the lead on Northern Ireland but the appointment of the former Brookings Institution scholar signals a shift in authority to the State Department.

Because of St Patrick’s Day, mid-March often features a flurry of Ireland-related activities, and this year is no exception.

On Wednesday, President Bush nominated Massachusetts high-tech mogul Richard Egan as ambassador to Ireland.

Today, he was greeting leaders from Ireland, Northern Ireland and Britain during the annual St Patrick’s Day luncheon on Capitol Hill.

Tomorrow, he will present Taoiseach Bertie Ahern with a bowl of shamrocks before a meeting to discuss the 1998 power-sharing deal that has brought tenuous peace in Northern Ireland.

Among the VIP’s from the region who are in Washington this week, besides Ahern, are Northern Ireland secretary John Reid, Northern Ireland First Minister David Trimble, his deputy Seamus Mallon, SDLP leader John Hume, and Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams.

A senior official said earlier this week said Bush wants to put to rest doubts about his commitment to helping the parties involved implement the 1998 accord.