TAOISEACH BERTIE Ahern has strongly defended the role played in Northern Ireland by US presidential hopeful, Senator Hillary Clinton, despite criticism by supporters of fellow Democratic contender, Senator Barack Obama.
Mr Ahern spoke after he met President George Bush in the White House yesterday, and leading Senate and House of Representative figures on Capitol Hill subsequently.
"I think they're wrong. For this reason: President [Bill] Clinton and the first lady came to Ireland three times during their presidency. She came on two other occasions, to a women's conference and she came on another occasion as well. All of the groups that used to go over, apart from St Patrick's Day, she made the point of meeting them. She gave enormous heart and encouragement to the groups.
"She was as much involved as President Clinton in extending St Patrick's Day into that night and bringing huge numbers of people into it, in fairness," Mr Ahern said after he attended the traditional Capitol Hill lunch with Mr Bush and speaker of the House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi.
Following his arrival in Washington late on Sunday night, Mr Ahern met Mrs Clinton briefly at the Irish Embassy at 7.30am yesterday, which was followed by a telephone conversation with Mr Obama.
"I have to say in my conversations this morning, it [ the role played in Northern Ireland by Mrs Clinton] was totally acknowledged by Senator Obama, so I mean, I'm not going to get into the politics of this," he told Irish journalists.
"I think for anyone to try to question the Clintons' huge support and start trying to nit-pick and saying 'but she wasn't sitting down at the negotiation table'. Sure we know she wasn't sitting down at the negotiation table, but I mean I think it would be very unfair for anybody to take that away from her," he said.
An attempt was made to arrange a telephone conversation "to my good friend" Senator John McCain, who is currently in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, but the phone line broke down, although another attempt was expected to be made late last night.
Following a 45-minute meeting in the Oval Office, Mr Bush praised the Taoiseach's role in the peace process and promised to send top figures to Belfast for May's international investment conference.
"I want to congratulate the Taoiseach. He was very generous in his praise about America's role, previous administration's role, hopefully our role in helping Northern Ireland have a peaceful future. But, Taoiseach, the truth of the matter in there, that you've had a steady hand, and you've been supportive, and I do want to applaud those who are here who've shown great courage, who've been able to put . . . behind them a terrible past and focus on a hopeful future."
Mr Ahern said the investment conference "is really a one-off chance, an opportunity for Northern Ireland to bring some of the big investors of the world to see the opportunities that are there, the opportunities that they had not had a chance of being able to get any benefit from for the last 30 or 40 years, and now they have that."
The lunch hosted by Ms Pelosi had a smaller attendance than usual due to the fact that Congress is currently not in session, and Mr Ahern did not meet, as usual, Senator Ted Kennedy.
Mr Ahern, who was joined by Ceann Comhairle John O'Donoghue, said he hoped "very soon" to have the opportunity to invite Ms Pelosi to visit Ireland. "I know, madam speaker, that we would all wish to see you visit us in Ireland.
"We all know that it has not been easy to reach the point where we are today. However, we know also that, quite simply, it would not have happened without the constant, steadfast support of the United States and without the interest and commitment of all our friends, on both sides of the aisle, here in Congress.
"To all of you and to your predecessors who travelled with us on our long journey to where we are today, I say a heartfelt thank you."