McCartneys to meet President Bush shortly

The sisters and fiancée of the murdered Belfast man, Robert McCartney, are meeting President Bush in Washington this afternoon.

The North’s political leaders have been excluded from the annual Shamrock Ceremony at the White House amid growing outrage over Mr McCartney's brutal murder.

President Bush, senators Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton, as well as US Envoy to Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss, have all thrown their weight behind the campaign to find who killed Mr McCartney.

Speaking last night, Catherine Mc Cartney stressed the importance of apprehending her brother’s killers for reasons of both justice and the peace process.