Irish Leader Accepts Invitation To Britain

Irish President Mary Robinson has accepted an invitation to make an official visit to Britain - the first by an Irish head of state.

Robinson was delighted “to receive and accept” the invitation, her office said Thursday. The visit is expected in June.

In the first meeting of Irish and British heads of state, Robinson and Queen Elizabeth II had tea and a chat in May 1993. But the meeting took place while Mrs. Robinson was on a private visit to London.

Relations between the two states have been icy since the 1920s, when Irish guerrillas fought a bloody war of independence after eight centuries of subservience to Britain.