Minister Cowen flies to US for talks

The Minister for Foreign Affairs, Brian Cowen, will depart on a five-day visit to the United States this morning.

Minister Cowen will have discussions with Senior UN officials about Ireland’s role in the Security Council during his stay.

The chairman of the Oireachtas Foreign Affairs committee, Dr. Michael Woods, will accompany Minister Cowen on his official visit.

He will begin a round of meetings on Monday by briefing US secretary of state Colin Powell in Washington on the state of the North’s peace process.

The visit will conclude on Wednesday with a meeting with the chief inspector of the UN’s weapons inspection team in Iraq, Dr. Hans Blix.