Sinn Féin president Gerry Adams is still considering a visit to Cuba this month despite the arrests of three suspected IRA members in Colombia, a spokesman said today.
The West Belfast MP has been urged by Irish American allies in Washington, like leading US Congressman Mr Peter King, to reconsider the trip which will include a meeting with Cuban President Fidel Castro.
Irish American supporters are uneasy about the impact of a visit by the Sinn Féin leader to Cuba following the arrests by Colombian authorities early last month of Mr Niall Connolly, Mr Martin McCauley and Mr James Monaghan.
The three Irishmen are accused of using illegal documentation and of training FARC rebels.
The suspects are being held in the high security La Mondelo prison following the decision by the Colombian authorities to further investigate their activities.
They can be held for eight months before they must be officially charged or released.
But Colombian authorities have warned that each man faces up to 20 years' imprisonment if found guilty.
Mr Adams had wanted to travel to Cuba to personally thank Mr Castro for his country's support for the republican movement over the years - particularly during the 1981 hunger strikes.
A Sinn Féin spokesman today denied a report in the Sunday Tribune newspaper quoting a senior Sinn Féin source as saying the trip could be shelved.
"Discussions were continuing last week involving our international department about arrangements for the trip," the spokesman told reporters.
Mr Adams has been on holiday in recent weeks but finally broke his silence on the Colombian arrests in an Irish American newspaper last week, only to say Sinn Féin had "no case to answer" on the incident.
Following a meeting of his party's 120-ruling executive yesterday, Ulster Unionist leader Mr Trimble insisted republicans did have a case to answer about their intentions towards the Northern Ireland peace process.
Mr Trimble said on the basis of the facts already known about Colombia, republicans had "already destroyed their credibility in terms of a movement, an alleged movement away from terrorism into political action.
"Now that in itself raises very, very obvious questions. I don't want to say never (to power sharing with Sinn Féin) because I hope even at this late stage that the Republican movement will carry out the assurances that they have given people over the years about their intentions.
"But I have to say to them that there is nobody that I know of who has any serious present belief in their integrity," he added.