McAleese in talks with Malta leaders

President Mary McAleese will today hold talks with the president and prime minister of Malta during the first-ever Irish state visit to the island.

Mrs McAleese will also meet dignitaries in Valletta and address business leaders at the city’s Chamber of Commerce and Enterprise.

After formal talks with President Dr Edward Fenech Adami and Prime Minister Dr Lawrence Gonzi, she will attend a lunch in her honour at Auberge de Castille.

Mrs McAleese will later visit the Unesco World Heritage Site at Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.

The president will leave Malta tomorrow to make a state visit to the Republic of Cyprus.

She will attend the Republic of Ireland’s Euro 2008 qualifier game against Cyprus in Nicosia and meet Irish gardaí serving with the United Nations peacekeeping force on the island.

On Monday she will hold official talks with President Tassos Papadopoulos and receive the coveted Golden Key of Nicosia.

Mrs McAleese will also deliver an address at the University of Cyprus on the theme, Europe’s New Horizons: An Irish Perspective.

The president will be accompanied by Minister for Foreign Affairs Dermot Ahern in Malta and by Environment Minister Dick Roche in Cyprus.