An editorial in the Washington Post criticising President Clinton, Senator Edward Kennedy and Irish-American politicians for their "silence" on the decommissioning of IRA weapons has caused anger on Capitol Hill.
The editorial in the influential Washington newspaper with the heading "Silence on Ireland" says: "The Irish lobby in Congress has never missed a chance to denounce Protestant intransigence. But now a deafening silence comes from Senator Edward Kennedy."
It adds: "The White House waffles, perhaps believing that private pressure on the IRA is more effective. But the IRA's leaders need to know that their allies in this country will not indulge them if they break up the peace process. The President should publicly insist that the IRA begin disarmament."
As it happens, Mr Clinton did refer to the North yesterday when he told a prayer breakfast that "Northern Ireland's peace process and its fledgling coalition government have been plunged into crisis over the Irish Republican Army's refusal to give up weapons. Today the Irish peace process is strained by a lack of trust between republican Catholics and Protestant unionists."
It is the first time President Clinton has made such an explicit reference to the IRA's refusal to decommission under the terms of the Belfast Agreement. Previous statements by the President on Northern Ireland refrain from assigning blame to either side for lack of progress on decommissioning.
The Post editorial also criticises a statement this week by the four co-chairmen of the bipartisan Ad-hoc Committee on Irish Affairs on Capitol Hill - Mr Ben Gilman, Mr Richard Neal, Mr Peter King and Mr Joseph Crowley - where they "complain about `artificial deadlines on the arms decommissioning issue'. "
The editorial says: "The apparent one-sidedness is out of step with Irish popular opinion; 74 per cent of Northern Ireland's people and 95 per cent in the South voted for the Good Friday agreement, which the IRA now threatens to undo."
Editorials in several other US newspapers in the past week have emphasised that it is up to the IRA to move on decommissioning if the crisis is to be resolved.
A spokesman for Senator Kennedy said he does not normally respond to editorials but "the senator's record in support of the peace process is unquestioned. He continues to monitor and work behind the scenes in favour of the peace process."