The Belfast Agreement will be discussed this week in Washington between an Irish parliamentary delegation and senior US politicians and officials. The delegation, led by the Ceann Comhairle, Mr Seamus Pattison, arrived in New York yesterday for a week-long visit which includes Washington and Boston.
A highlight will be a dinner on Capitol Hill hosted by the Speaker, Mr Newt Gingrich, who plans to visit Ireland later this summer. He will be briefed on the situation concerning the peace process and may seek out Irish relatives. On his mother's side he is related to Dohertys in Donegal.
Mr Gingrich has been behind the efforts to revive the US-Ireland Parliamentary Group involving exchanges of visits. A US delegation went to Ireland last year and this is the first visit of Irish parliamentarians.
Today the Irish group has a series of meetings in New York which includes the Mayor, Mr Rudolph Giuliani, the speaker of the city council, Mr Peter Vallone, and the Irish development agencies at Ireland House. There will also be a visit to UN headquarters.
In Washington, the delegation will have two meetings with members of Congress to discuss the peace process and international issues. The delegation will also visit the White House for a meeting with Mr Jim Steinberg of the National Security Council and the State Department to meet Under Secretary, Mr Thomas Pickering.
The Irish ambassador, Mr Sean O hUiginn, will host a dinner for the delegation and there will also be a lunch to meet US and Irish media and a breakfast meeting with Senator Edward Kennedy.
On Friday, the delegation will be in Boston for meetings with the mayor and the Massachusetts senate president, Mr Thomas Birmingham. There will also be visits to Boston College and the Kennedy Library and Museum.
The other members of the delegation are: Mr Desmond O'Malley; Mr Michael Kitt; Mr Michael Noonan, Mr Alan Shatter, Mr Matt Brennan, Mr Dinny McGinley, Dr Pat Upton, Mr Brendan Smith and Mr Thomas Gildea.