Northern Ireland First Minister Mr David Trimble tonight praised the decision of the Bush administration to outlaw the Real IRA - the group which bombed Omagh - as a terrorist organisation.
Mr Trimble met two US senators on a fact-finding mission to Northern Ireland to brief them on progress in the North since devolution.
During the meeting the Ulster Unionist leader said that while the Bush administration had only been in office a short time "their interest in Northern Ireland has been reassuring and I particularly welcome their recent move to list the Real IRA as a foreign terrorist organisation".
Senator John McCain, from Arizona, and Senator Fred Thompson, from Tennessee, whom Mr Trimble had discussions with, had a "distinguished record of opposing terrorism in all its manifestations," said the First Minister.
He said developing links with elected representatives gave the opportunity to "spread the word that Northern Ireland is a good place with which to do business".
Deputy First Minister Mr Seamus Mallon, who also had a meeting with the senators, also welcomed the interest of President George Bush in the North.
"The continued support of the Bush administration will be of enormous benefit as we seek to change perceptions and increase awareness of the positive aspects of our society here in the north of Ireland," he said.
PA