St Patrick's Day: Washington: Taoiseach Bertie Ahern has called for US political help to persuade the Northern parties to work together, restating his and British prime minister Tony Blair's determination to force the pace towards restoring the power-sharing institutions.
In a speech last night to the American-Ireland Fund dinner, Mr Ahern said they were "determined" to ensure the institutions were restored. "We have made it very clear that we will provide the leadership and direction that is now required," he said. "If difficult decisions are needed to move forward, then we will take them."
Earlier, he said the persuasive powers of US politicians could be useful when the crucial stage is reached. "I think where our colleagues here in America can help is that, when we come to that phase later this year, they would try to convince everybody that we can work in the way the Good Friday agreement set out."
Mr Ahern was speaking to reporters on Capitol Hill, where he met senators Ted Kennedy, Chris Dodd, Hilary Clinton, John McCain and Patrick Leahy. He was guest of honour at the annual speaker's lunch, hosted by House of Representatives speaker Denis Hastert. He will meet president George Bush today.
US senators and congressmen in the Friends of Ireland group yesterday made it clear that they saw the DUP's refusal to engage with Sinn Féin as the main stumbling block to progress, while also calling on Sinn Féin to sign up fully for the North's new policing structures.
The group issued two separate statements, one from its members in the House of Representatives and the other in the name of Friends of Ireland in Congress, signed by senators Kennedy, Dodd and Susan Collins, and congresswoman Nancy Pelosi.
The latter statement welcomed IRA decommissioning and the February 1st finding of the Independent Monitoring Commission (IMC) that the IRA has "taken the strategic decision to eschew terrorism and pursue a political path".
It called on the DUP to "unequivocally agree to share power with all parties, and commit itself to working within all the institutions established by the agreement. It also said that a decision by Sinn Féin to support and join the new policing structures would be a very important step forward.
"Justice must also be done in the case of Robert McCartney," it added.
The separate statement from the Friends of Ireland in the House of Representatives made no reference to the McCartney killing. It commended Sinn Féin "for its leadership in the historic decommissioning of weaponry by the Irish Republican Army in September 2005".
It regretted that the DUP "has continued to reject the Good Friday agreement and has refused to demonstrate its willingness to share power with all parties, including Sinn Féin.
The Taoiseach also held discussions yesterday with the Ireland/US Economic Advisory Board before attending last night's gala dinner hosted by the American-Ireland Fund.
Today Mr Ahern will present President Bush with a bowl of shamrock before meeting him for 30 minutes.