The lifting by US President George Bush of a ban on the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) training with the FBI has been welcomed by the UUP.
The president signed a measure lifting a ban on officers from Northern Ireland training with the FBI and other American police forces and allowing exchange programmes with US law enforcement agencies.
North Belfast Assembly member Fred Cobain said he was "delighted" to see the ban abolished. "This crass ban was introduced in 1999 after lobbying by anti-RUC Irish American Congressmen. We have consistently opposed it and worked to have it overturned.
"Both the Police Service of Northern Ireland and the FBI can learn a lot from each other and our shared experiences, particularly in the field of fighting organised crime."
Members of the then RUC were banned from training in America under a law passed by Congress because of concern over the force's human rights record.
A spokesman for the State Department said last night: "On December 7 2001, President Bush approved documents of certification to lift congressional restrictions on federal law enforcement training for the recently established Police Service of Northern Ireland.
"The Police Service of Northern Ireland offers a new beginning to law enforcement in Northern Ireland - substantiated this week by the positive report of the Oversight Commission for Policing Reform."
The move will allow Police Service of Northern Ireland officers to train at the FBI's academy, regarded as one of the world's most prestigious training facilities for police.
Exchange programmes, which already exist in England, Scotland and Wales, can also begin.
And the State Department spokesman said the move would be a contribution to the peace process.
"The establishment of the Police Service of Northern Ireland marks a significant milestone in the Northern Ireland peace process and provides additional tangible evidence that the Good Friday Agreement is delivering a lasting peace to the citizens of Northern Ireland," he said. The announcement was welcomed by an Ulster Unionist member of the 19-member Northern Ireland Police Board which has been on a fact-finding visit to the United States.
The White House's official endorsement of the Police Service comes at a crucial time for the British government which has been anxious to secure nationalist support for its policing reforms.
It follows the SDLP's decision to nominate three of its Assembly members to the board which handles the reforms and holds the service accountable.
The SDLP also became the first nationalist party ever in Northern Ireland to urge its supporters to join the police.
Sinn Féin, however, has refused to back the police service or take the two seats it is entitled to on the board because it claims the reforms do not go far enough.
The new police service officially came into being last month, changing its name from the Royal Ulster Constabulary.
PA