A delegation from the US Congress has criticised the response of the British government and unionists to the proposed policing reforms in Northern Ireland.
In a letter to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, Republican congressman Mr Ben Gilman praised the work of the Patten Report but said the recent legislative process in the UK had "unwisely brought politics back into the northern policing question".
"In turn, it has failed to date to win the support of the Irish Government, the Catholic Church and the nationalist community for the new police service and governing authorities."
Mr Gilman presented the letter to Mr Ahern when he led the US Congressional delegation in talks at Government Buildings yesterday.
"The British Government should have stuck to the original Patten reforms, which were themselves a compromise and well crafted," Mr Gilman said. "Patten knew the politicians in the divided North were incapable of fixing the police service, and wisely set out to do it for them."
Mr Gilman said it was clear that a police service that was 93 per cent Protestant and lacked substantial nationalist support would always have problems in being accepted by nationalist communities.
After the meeting, Mr Ahern said he had been reassured that the Northern Ireland peace process was still a priority issue in the White House, despite the change in administration. Mr Gilman told him that there was strong cross-party support in Congress for the peace process.
Meanwhile, Mr Ahern again played down suggestions that the peace talks deadlock would be resolved when he meets the British Prime Minister in London tomorrow evening. The Taoiseach and Mr Blair are meeting to try to resolve problems around the issues of policing, demilitarisation and paramilitary arms disposal.
