The Sinn Fein president, Mr Gerry Adams, is planning a new lobbying and fund-raising trip to the United States later this month. He is expected to visit Washington and New York.
In March he is expected to be invited to the White House along with the other leaders of the Northern Ireland political parties involved in the peace negotiations for the traditional St Patrick's Day reception. He was not invited last year because there was no IRA ceasefire at the time.
A review of the operations of the Sinn Fein office in Washington is being carried out at present with a view to expanding its lobbying and media activities. The Sinn Fein press officer in Dublin, Ms Rita O'Hare, is expected to move to Washington to take over the media post.
The present director of the office, Ms Mairead Keane, who combines the lobbying and media role, may return to Ireland after her three-year stint here.
Ms Keane told The Irish Times she hoped to spend more time in Ireland but no decisions had yet been taken as the review of the office was still going on.
The rent and expenses of the office, situated within minutes of Capitol Hill, have been subsidised by the wealthy Irish-American businessman, Mr Chuck Feeney. He contributes $20,000 a month to the Friends of Sinn Fein organisation (FOSF), the US affiliate of Sinn Fein in Ireland.
FOSF collected $460,000 in the six months from May 31st to October 31st last year, according to returns filed with the US Department of Justice. Most of this was raised during a tour in September by Mr Adams, Mr Martin McGuinness and Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain TD.
The White House has not yet issued invitations for the St Patrick's Day reception. Last year it invited the leaders of all the parties which qualified to take part in the peace talks, including the Rev Ian Paisley's DUP and Mr Robert McCartney's UKUP. Mr Paisley did not accept, but Mr McCartney did and was accompanied by Dr Conor Cruise O'Brien.
This year it will be interesting to see if invitations are limited to those parties participating fully in the negotiations, in which case the DUP and the UKUP would not be included, nor would Mr Gary McMichael's UDP, which has been formally excluded from the talks.
The White House policy is to encourage all the parties to become fully engaged in the negotiations.