SIX US Congressmen have responded to a plea from the Fianna Fail leader, Mr Bertie Ahern, by urging the British government to transfer an IRA prisoner, Paddy Kelly, to a jail in the Republic. They made their call in a joint letter to the British ambassador in Washington, Mr John Kerr.
The move came after Mr Ahern, who is in New York, requested the politicians' support for compassionate treatment for Kelly, who is seriously ill.
The letter asks the British government to allow the prisoner serve the rest of his sentence in the Republic "as an act of reconciliation".
It is signed by Congressmen Peter King, Joseph Kennedy, James Walsh, Benjamin Gilman, Thomas Manton, and Richard Neal.
The appeal concludes: "The time to rebuild trust and understanding and pave the way to a return to peaceful means must begin. The Kelly case presents a unique opportunity for the British government to begin that long walk."
Speaking from New York, Mr Ahern said he had also asked the assistance of Senator Chris Dodd in appealing to the British government for "some consideration of mercy to be shown to this seriously ill man".
