Adams moves on from attack on Bush envoy

Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams has sought to move the spotlight away from his outspoken attack on US President George Bush’s special envoy to Northern Ireland.

He also revealed that his party had been forced to refund donations that were to be made at a Friends of Sinn Féin gala breakfast in Washington yesterday, becase he attended it.

US State Department restrictions on his visa ban him from taking part in fundaising for his party.

Yesterday, Mr Adams lashed out at Mitchell Reiss, saying he was giving the President bad advice.

Northern Ireland Secretary Peter Hain said such “spats” had to stop because they got in the way of progress.

At a fundraising dinner in Washington last night, Mr Adams reiterated his complaint against Mr Reiss, but insisted that his protest was not the most important message.

“I find that I’m not impressed by what Mitchell Reiss has been inputting into the peace process,” Mr Adams said.

“But that’s not the main story – the main story is to get the British government to put institutions back into place and with all speed.”

Speaking at the breakfast yesterday morning, Mr Adams said: “I don’t have high regard for Mitchell Reiss’s input into this process.

“If it is he who is advising the president, it’s very very bad advice.”

Earlier in the week, Mr Adams said he was concerned by the “partisan behaviour” of the American administration’s handling of the peace process in recent months.