THE official White House reaction congratulates all who took part in the Northern Ireland election, but avoids any comment on the actual results.
A carefully worded statement from the press secretary said. "Yesterday the people of Northern Ireland gave their elected representatives a mandate for peace. The United States will continue to support the peace process and to stand with those who have worked so hard to create this opportunity for a just and lasting peace.
The United States is pleased with the broad participation by the people of Northern Ireland in yesterday's election to select the parties to be represented at the talks that begins June 10th. It appears that two thirds of the voters turned out in the rain to cast their ballots, an eloquent statement of their commitment to the peace process
The statement says the talks "offer an historic opportunity to achieve a lasting settlement to the agonising conflict that has darkened the lives of a generation". The election campaign "aired a broad range of views and offered the people a real choice in preparation for the talks".
In an earlier statement before the election, the White House had urged the IRA to reinstate the ceasefire to allow Sinn Fein take part in the talks. But the latest statement carefully avoids any mention of Sinn Fein, the IRA or indeed any of the parties or their performance in the election.