A DECISION on whether President Joe Biden will visit the north next month will be made in the coming days, The Irish News understands.
White House officials have scoped a number of locations earmarked for the visit over recent weeks in preparation for a possible visit but no final decision has been made.
Long-running speculation that the president will come to Ireland has intensified in recent weeks.
It is expected that if he does come, it will coincide with celebrations to mark the 25th anniversary of the Good Friday Agreement.
However, it still remains unclear whether he will travel north, with a number of factors said to be influencing the decision.
The recent breakthrough between the EU and UK on the protocol is thought to have increased the likelihood, however, officials would be reluctant for President Biden to visit against the background of a continued boycott of the institutions by the DUP.
The leaders of Stormont's main parties will fly to the States over the coming days ahead of the St Patrick's Day celebrations at the White House.
They are expected to be briefed on the potential for increased US investment in the north should power-sharing be restored.
In December, the White House appointed Joe Kennedy III as the special envoy to Northern Ireland for economic affairs.
President Biden name-checked the 42-year-old in his statement last week welcoming the Windsor Framework, where he highlighted "economic opportunities created by this stability and certainty".
He said the United States was "ready to support the region’s vast economic potential".
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar and Tánaiste Micheál Martin will also be in Washington DC.
An announcement on the presidential visit could come as early as Friday.
Former US president Bill Clinton and his wife and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton are also expected in Belfast next month for events to mark the Good Friday Agreement anniversary.
One source told The Irish News that the 1998 accord was a "really big deal for the Biden administration and Irish-America generally" and that it would be "deeply regrettable" if the president were not able to attend events marking next month's anniversary.
SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said he was hopeful the president would make the trip.
"The Biden administration understands that and the president is clearly willing to be a partner in progress for us all," the Foyle MP told The Irish News.
"A visit to mark the enormous achievement of the Good Friday Agreement and to send a message to international investors that this is the place to create jobs, business and opportunity would be powerful."
