THE White House is resisting growing pressure to ban Mr Gerry Adams from the United States, and behind the scenes diplomacy is continuing in an effort to give new political impetus to the peace process.
The latest incidents in the IRA campaign in London have resulted in some pressure from the US media not to renew Mr Adams's visa, and to rescind the Sinn Fein president's permission to raise funds in the United States.
However, White House press secretary, Mr Mike McCurry, said yesterday that a renewed IRA ceasefire was not a condition for granting a new visa, and that it was conceivable that Mr Adams could get permission to return to the United States before the peace process was restored.
Mr Adams applied before the IRA ceasefire ended for a renewal of his US visa to visit New York and Washington in mid March.
Mr Clinton said on Monday that the White House would continue a dialogue with all parties "to support their efforts to restore the ceasefire and find a lasting and just peace". Administration officials have been in telephone contact with the parties in the hope of nudging them towards a breakthrough.
Significantly the White House has resisted the easy option of rescinding the fund raising decision while it encourages all parties to return to the ceasefire. Friends of Sinn Fein has raised 1.3 million, of which just under half was transferred to Ireland last summer, according to Sinn Fein.
Mr Clinton, who condemned the IRA's "cowardly acts of terrorism" was criticised by the national newspaper USA Today which said he should not "condone the latest savagery of the IRA by allowing its political honcho to rollick in New York and Washington parades and raise more IRA money."
It went on "Amazingly, President Clinton appears to need time to decide this no brainer ... Mr President, just how many bombings will it take to withdraw this privilege?"
A guest editorial commentary on National Public Radio yesterday said the president would have to scrub hard the hand that shook Mr Adams's hand because of his IRA links.
The Irish Voice in New York said that the message from Irish America has to be loud and clear. "There is immense support for the Irish peace process but violence can play no, part.
It said that the White Housed "and everyone who embraced the Sinn Fein political process are either running for cover or desperately trying to put Humpty Dumpty together again," and blamed "a few shadowy men, meeting in some corner of Ireland," for putting an end to the movement for peace.
"What is the nature of the secret power that these men can wield that the wishes of 95 per cent of the people of Ireland, north and south, for a settlement through peaceful political negotiation can be so conveniently ignored" asked the paper, published by Mr Niall O'Dowd who was prominent in organising Irish Americans behind the peace process.
In a commentary in the Irish People, the newspaper of the Irish republican movement in New York, columnist Sandy Boyer said the IRA's London attack would "make it more difficult to work for Irish freedom here in the United States."
He said "It will get even harder if as seems likely continued British intransigence leads to more attacks and more casualties.
Some persons who were attracted to the respectability and glamour of Gerry Adams as an international celebrity will fade away. Some public officials will probably be more reluctant to act positively on Irish issues."
Mr McCurry told White House correspondents yesterday "We are encouraging all parties to return to the ceasefire and to return to a dialogue that can lead to the advancement of the peace process.
Another official told the Associated Press that Mr Adams's argument for returning would be considerably stronger if there was a ceasefire in place.