US President George W Bush has been attacked by his main Democratic rival for pushing the Northern Ireland peace process down the White House's foreign policy agenda.
In a comprehensive statement on the peace process circulated in recent weeks to Irish-American groups, Democratic presidential hopeful Senator John Kerry criticised the Rev Ian Paisley's Democratic Unionist Party for "refusing to form a government with Sinn Féin".
He also urged the IRA and loyalists to get rid of all their weapons and end all paramilitary activity.
Senator Kerry, who has already won 14 of the 16 state primaries for his party's nomination for this November's election and is expected to win another tonight in Wisconsin, accused the Bush administration of failing to build on Mr Bill Clinton's efforts to promote the peace process when he was in the White House.
The Massachusetts senator's campaign team said: "John Kerry will put the Northern Ireland peace process high on America's foreign policy agenda. On this issue, he will continue to follow the path set by Senator [Edward] Kennedy, President Clinton and Senator [George] Mitchell.
"John Kerry believes that President Bush has failed to recognise the importance of building on the work of President Clinton in facilitating the peace process."
During his four-year term, President Bush has had two advisers on Northern Ireland - former State Department official Ambassador Richard Haass and his recently appointed successor, Ambassador Mitchell Reiss.