The possibility of Sinn Fein being expelled from the peace talks because of recent murders in Belfast overshadowed the visit of Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Ms Liz O'Donnell here, she said yesterday.
She summarised her meetings at the White House and on Capitol Hill by saying: "Everybody is being a little bit diminished and very concerned with the implications of the recent murders for the peace talks."
She said the main purpose of her visit was to give a first-hand account of the progress being made in the talks and the difficulties at this crucial stage. It was very important to keep the administration and Congress informed of the Government's view.
She had meetings with deputy national security adviser at the White House Mr Jim Steinberg; Senator Edward Kennedy; members of the Ad-Hoc Committee for Irish Affairs in Congress; and the under-secretary for political affairs at the State Department, Mr Thomas Pickering.
The possibility of Sinn Fein being expelled from the talks was "one factor which cast a depressing cloud over my reports of progress or otherwise to Americans here. They are very aware that there are implications for Sinn Fein based on allegations that the IRA was involved in these two recent murders."
She said "both governments are desperate to maintain the inclusive process but we can't completely set aside the Mitchell Principles which are a cardinal rule of our operations".
The issue of the UUP not fully engaging with Sinn Fein in the talks also came up. Ms O'Donnell said she explained the Government's position that it was "highly desirable" that there would be such a bilateral engagement.