Government to argue for inclusion of SF at White House

THE Government will argue for the inclusion of Sinn Féin at the White House St Patrick’s Day ceremony despite the round of denunciations the party will face later this week.

Three days ahead of the International Monitoring Commission's (IMC) report on the Northern Bank robbery which blames the IRA for the raid and for recent punishment shootings Foreign Affairs Minister Dermot Ahern acknowledged that it would cause further damage to the process.

However, as he departed for a visit to the US, Mr Ahern said that he would urge the White House not to exclude Sinn Féin from US President George W Bush's "shamrock ceremony" on St Patrick's Day.

"The thing that I will be saying is that all parties should be treated equally and (none) should be excluded," Mr Ahern told RTÉ yesterday.

While it has not yet made any decision on inviting Sinn Féin to the White House St Patrick's Day ceremony, the Bush administration last week described the two IRA statements as "unwelcome." In a further sign of increasing US antipathy to the Republican movement, an editorial in the Washington Post yesterday described the IRA as an organised crime syndicate. The Government also confirmed last night that it will not back a Fine Gael-sponsored motion in the Dáil tonight that is highly condemnatory of Sinn Féin and the Republican movement.

The Cabinet is expected to approve a counter-motion at its weekly meeting this morning to that proposed by Fine Gael leader Enda Kenny. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern will be the main speaker for the Government.

According to its spokesperson, the Government does not take issue with any of the criticisms raised in the FG motion, but is concerned that it does not make reference to the continuing efforts to find a way forward out of the current impasse.

The Cabinet will also discuss the IMC report this morning ahead of its simultaneous publication by the Irish and British governments on Thursday morning.

Meanwhile, in Belfast yesterday, Sinn Féin leader Gerry Adams accused the Government of sending out "mixed messages" about his party's status.