The family of Joseph Rafferty who, it has been alleged, was murdered by a member of the IRA, have described a 90-minute meeting with US ambassador James C Kenny yesterday as a "step-up towards getting our campaign over to America".
Mr Rafferty's sister, Esther Uzell, said Mr Kenny had pledged to do "everything he can" to help them in their campaign to highlight the circumstances of their brother's death. Mr Rafferty died when he was shot dead in the Ongar Park estate in west Dublin last April.
His family believe that because the only suspect in the murder is associated with Sinn Féin/IRA, the republican movement has a responsibility to bring him to justice.
Ms Uzell, along with other family members and supporters, plans to follow in the footsteps of the family of the late Robert McCartney by travelling to the US before Christmas. While there, they hope to meet senators Edward Kennedy and Hilary Clinton, and possibly President Bush's special envoy to Northern Ireland, Dr Mitchell Reiss.
"I'd summarise the meeting as a step-up towards getting our campaign over to America," Ms Uzell said.
"There's only one thing that we want . . . if this individual is handed over tomorrow, the campaign would be over."
A spokeswoman for Sinn Féin said: "None of those who the Rafferty family believe were responsible for murdering Joe are members of Sinn Féin, nor have they ever been."