The sisters of Belfast man Robert McCartney are to take their campaign for justice to Britain and Europe, following a high-profile visit to Washington where yesterday they personally lobbied US president George Bush for his support.
"We will now take the campaign back to Ireland and we're going to be keeping in close contact with Bertie Ahern and we're going to be speaking again with the politicians in Ireland and obviously in Britain also, and we'll be looking forward then on to Europe," said Catherine McCartney.
The sisters, Catherine, Claire, Donna, Paula and Gemma, and Robert's partner, Bridgeen Hagans, were invited to the White House for the annual St Patrick's Day reception in place of Northern Ireland political leaders, to demonstrate the Bush administration's frustration at continued violent activity linked to the IRA.
"We impressed upon the president the importance of getting justice for Robert," said Catherine as they emerged from the White House where she said Mr Bush spoke with them for several minutes.
"He said he's 100 per cent behind our campaign and he believed very much that Ireland as a whole and the peace process required justice for people back in Ireland."
Mr Bush did not say what he would do, she said, "but he did show he was aware of the case and aware of its importance to the peace process".
Their purpose in accepting the White House invitation, Ms McCartney explained, was to get "what support we can for justice for Robert" and for the president to use whatever influence he has to bring that about.
They would be speaking to more people in the US "about just raising the issue and the importance to the whole people of Ireland that the murderers are brought to justice".
Mr Bush she said talked to Bridgeen and asked about her two boys and "said how sorry he was about what happened to Robert". She said Mr Bush seemed quite confident that things would change, adding "he obviously knows things that we don't".
Paula McCartney said: "We're very happy with what he said, encouraged and heartened." Asked if their lobbying in Washington had changed a romantic view of paramilitaries, Catherine replied: "For anyone listening to what we have been saying, obviously at least that romantic view has been damaged if not completely dispelled. I think people are going to see what happened to Robert as criminality, and nothing but criminality."
On the suggestion that she might enter politics as a candidate, Catherine McCartney said that she did not intend to do so as it would distract from the focus of their campaign which was to obtain justice for Robert.
On Wednesday evening the sisters attended the annual dinner of the American Ireland Fund where they received a round of applause when their presence was mentioned from the stage. The group plan to return to Ireland on Sunday.