It would be wrong to describe President Clinton's visit to Northern Ireland in September as a "lap of honour" or a "glory trip", the Northern Secretary, Dr Mo Mowlam, said here yesterday.
She also said she did not expect the fallout from the Monica Lewinsky investigation to affect the visit and cautioned the American press from making too close comparisons with the earlier successful Clinton visit in 1995.
Dr Mowlam was in Washington to brief US officials, members of Congress and the media on the situation in Northern Ireland.
At a press briefing she warned that the fringe republican groups opposed to the peace process had the capacity to "destabilise" the situation. She praised the gardai for preventing the transport of up to 10 bombs from the Republic.
She called on Irish-American groups not to give financial support to fringe groups. It would be "a mistake and unhelpful if elements of Irish-Americans thought they were helping by supporting those who still want the armed struggle". She was unaware if such support was being given.
Dr Mowlam was reluctant to comment on reports that the North's First Minister, Mr David Trimble, would have difficulties sitting with Sinn Fein in the future Executive because of the recent murder of Mr Andy Kearney following a punishment shooting. She said she had yet to get a report on the murder which "points the finger in one direction or another".
When she got the facts, she could then make a recommendation to the Assembly on whether a political party should be suspended. She was getting reports which indicated the IRA and loyalist paramilitary bodies were keeping the ceasefire.
Asked about the usefulness of the Clinton visit in early September, Dr Mowlam said it would be "cynical" if the US press called it a "victory lap" or a "glory trip". President Clinton was not just a "fair weather friend" and had supported the peace process "through thick and thin".
She hoped the visit would give a boost to the Springvale "educational village" on the interface between east and west Belfast.
Asked if she thought President Clinton would get the kind of "rapturous reception" he received in 1995, and if the Monica Lewinsky matter could affect it, Dr Mowlam said she doubted it but "I'm sure if one wants to make it an issue, one could".
She said it would be a mistake if the American press were to portray the visit as "Clinton does not get such a big welcome". That would be just looking at the visit from an American point of view but "the Northern Ireland people are at a different point from when Clinton was there before".