President George W. Bush phoned Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams today to urge him to follow through with action after the IRA's decision to disarm.
"They had a good discussion and the president stressed that this is an important opportunity to seize," said White House press secretary Scott McClellan. "The president talked about the importance of moving forward with action."
Yesterday, Mr Bush also talked on the phone with Democratic Unionist Party leader Rev Ian Paisley.
"The president talked about our support for the statement that the IRA put out yesterday on ending its armed campaign," Mr McClellan said.
