Senator Edward Kennedy yesterday honoured former SDLP leader Mr John Hume by tabling a resolution in the US Senate acclaiming his "brilliant achievements in the cause of peace for all the people of Northern Ireland".
Last night the Massachusetts senator hosted a reception on Capitol Hill marking Mr Hume's retirement as MP, attended by Mr Hume, SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan and deputy leader Mr Alasdair McDonnell.
"In a very real sense, it was John who, in large part, became the glue that held Northern Ireland together, halted the descent into anarchy and civil war, and produced realistic hope for peace and further progress," stated the resolution which was expected to be passed last night. The presence of a heavyweight SDLP delegation in Washington comes at a time when Sinn Féin is suffering a serious PR setback over the Northern Bank robbery in Belfast.
Several Irish American figures at a reception for Mr Hume in New York, at Mutual of America, said there was growing impatience with the stalled peace process and with Sinn Féin, which they said had been compromised by the allegations made against them by the Irish and British governments that they were implicated.
President Bush is not expected to make a decision on whether to invite Northern Ireland party leaders to a St Patrick's Day reception until he returns from his trip to Brussels next week, when he will have a chance to speak to the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern.