THESE were fragile days for the peace process, the United States Ambassador told an Ogra Fianna Fail conference in Dublin last knight.
The people of this island were living in fear, in terror, of a return to violence and civil strife, said Mrs Jean Kennedy Smith. This fear was shared by the people of the United States, by the politicians and the businessmen who responded in good faith "and now feel betrayed".
In an address on "Ireland - the American Dimension", the ambassador said they had been outraged by the bombs in England, the punishment beatings, the murder of Garda Jerry McCabe and by this week's arms find in London.
"We have been aghast and shaken by the naked sectarianism that has risen from the ashes of Drumcree, by the senseless discrimination that fragments already struggling communities, by the childish and cruel protests against families as they headed to church to worship."
President Clinton and the people of the United States had called repeatedly for a restoration of the IRA cease-fire and she echoed that call.
Outlining the US dimension, Mrs Kennedy Smith said she knew there were those in the audience who felt enthusiastic about the US contribution to the peace process. "But there may be others who are less so, who perceive Americans as biased to the republican cause," she stated.
Saying she wanted to chose her words very carefully, she said it was not the case that the US favoured a united Ireland; nor did it oppose one. "The United States feels that this matter, in the modern world, must be decided by dialogue, by diplomacy and by negotiation, not by violence."
She added: "So we are not partial to one side or the other."
Turning to the role that the US could play in these difficult times, the ambassador said it cared very much that peace should come and that this land should be prosperous. "We do not know the solution, nor do we pretend to. We do not have any idea what will emerge from the talks. But we believe in those talks and in a negotiated settlement that will be just and fair to both traditions.
"The American people stand ready to help in any way we can. We stand ready to listen to all sides, to make suggestions, and to encourage movement."