Irish and European diplomats met the US assistant secretary of state for European and Eurasian affairs, Ms Elizabeth Jones, in Dublin yesterday to discuss EU-US relations during the Irish EU Presidency, writes Arthur Beesley.
While issues such as the occupation of Iraq were the on the agenda, Irish officials refused to disclose the positions outlined in the discussions. They described the meeting as an "official-level" engagement.
The political situation in the Middle East, Afghanistan, North Korea, Russia and the Caucusus was also discussed in the first in a series of meetings leading up to the a probable EU-US summit.
US President George Bush is expected to travel to Ireland for the summit before the Irish Presidency ends in June, but Irish officials said no decision has been made on the place or timing of such a visit.