President Clinton said he attaches the highest priority to achieving a lasting settlement in Northern Ireland and that this would "send the most positive signal to other troubled parts of the world".
He spoke on the Northern Ireland situation when he met the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Burke, at a UN reception in New York last night.
Mr Burke said later the President had reiterated his commitment to the peace process and his determination to support the all-party talks. The President, in public remarks to the gathering of the leaders of national delegations to the UN General Assembly, also spoke of the importance of a solution to the troubles "in the land of my ancestors".
Mr Burke thanked him for his support for the restoration of the IRA ceasefire and for continuing to act as a friend to all sides in Northern Ireland. Mr Burke also paid tribute to the role played in the peace talks by former US senator, Mr George Mitchell.