Ahern will meet top US official on North

THE Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, will have talks in Washington later today with the new US Under Secretary of State, …

THE Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, will have talks in Washington later today with the new US Under Secretary of State, Mr Peter Tarnoff, on Northern Ireland.

Mr Ahern, who is on a six day visit to the United States, yesterday addressed a meeting in Boston organised by Mr Tom O'Neill, the son of the former speaker of the US House of Representatives, the late Mr Tip O'Neill. He later had separate talks with Mr Billy Hutchinson, of the Progressive Unionist Party, and Mr Alex Attwood, of the SDLP, both of whom spoke at the Boston meeting.

Today, Mr Ahern will meet Senator Edward Kennedy, Congress man Joe Kennedy and the chairman of the Democratic Party, Senator Chris Dodd.