The Northern Ireland peace process has made progress over recent months, the United States special envoy, Mr Richard Haass, said following a meeting yesterday with the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Cowen.
The Iveagh House meeting, which dealt with both Northern Ireland and global issues, was the last in a series of meetings held this week by Mr Haass in Belfast, London and Dublin.
"Obviously we have suffered something of a setback but, that said, it is important to realise that progress has been made. The challenge is to get elections in the autumn.
"On balance, we are ahead of where we were, even though not everything was said that we all would have wanted. But what was said by republicans was historic by any measure."
The crisis caused by allegations over a British agent dubbed "Stakeknife" was not raised during his discussions with Mr Cowen, or with the Northern Secretary, Mr Paul Murphy, in London.
"I tried to keep the focus on the way forward. One of the many aspects of the "Stakeknife" issue is that it is a distraction and causes concern amongst people at a time when we have tough challenges, as there is now.
"I did not want to give that any more play. That will have to be worked by those in the middle. My priority is to get elections as soon as possible," said Mr Haass, a US State Department official.
Keen to promote the positive, Mr Haass pointed to a recent Belfast Newsletter poll which showed that a majority of unionists are still prepared to support cross-party government "if certain conditions are met".
The Bush administration is pushing strongly for Northern Ireland Assembly elections to take place well before the end of the year, the Department of Foreign Affairs said.
Questioned about the British government's decision to cancel the elections scheduled for May, Mr Haass said: "It was a tough decision, a close call. Sometimes in life you have to take tough decisions."
Elections were a necessary part of political life in Northern Ireland. "It is important to distinguish between tactical choices that have to be made in the peace process and strategic commitments. We have a clear and unchanged strategic commitment to the holding of elections," said Mr Haass, who spent 40 minutes in a private meeting with Mr Cowen on Northern Ireland.
Mr Cowen refused to reopen the debate about Mr Tony Blair's decision to postpone the elections. "We have moved on," he declared.
The two governments still require a declaration from the IRA which guarantees that punishment beatings and all other forms of paramilitarism are over for good.
"There is a confidence deficit. But it is a two-way street. Both communities have requirements. We need an end to paramilitarism in a way that everybody accepts. And we need the unionists to engage in a way that ensures the institutions will last on a permanent basis. There will be changes in what is required," said Mr Cowen.
