UNIONISTS yesterday welcomed the Australian decision to deny a visa to Mr Gerry Adams, and said they would urge the US administration to take similar action.
The UUP leader, Mr David Trimble, said: "We will be pressing the American administration when we go there at the end of this month that they should now look again at the permission that was given to Sinn Fein/IRA to raise funds."
He added: "I think there is a very considerable number of people in the US now who realise that they were misled as to Mr Adams's character and his intentions."
Ms Dodie McGuinness, of Sinn Fein, said the party was very disappointed with the decision and hoped they could ask the Australian government to reverse it. She said: "Dialogue is what we are about and what we're trying to promote, and I don't think that any government or people should be afraid of listening to everyone's side of the story."
The DUP leader, the Rev Ian Paisley, said: "I think world opinion is against a person who had the opportunity of showing his strength in the right way and didn't show it in the right way and kept on justifying the violence of the IRA."
Mr Sean Neeson, of Alliance, said he hoped that the example shown by Australia would be followed by the Americans.
Mr David Adams, of the UDP, commented: "It must be shown that there are no rewards for terrorism - that there is a price to be paid and that you cannot have on the one hand an IRA campaign going on here, and on the other hand Sinn Fein spokesmen travelling the world on propaganda and self promotional tours at will."
Mr Adams's publisher, Mr Steve MacDonogh, of Brandon Book Publishers, said in a statement: "I have every confidence in the ability of the Australian people to hear Gerry Adams and to draw their own conclusions. It is sad to think that the Australian government so distrusts its people that it must prevent them from hearing the story that Gerry Adams has to tell."
. The British government actively lobbied Australia not to allow Mr Adams into Australia, the Sydney Morning Herald has reported, quoting "official sources". Groups in Australia supportive of Sinn Fein accused the government of caving in to British pressure. The Australian Minister for Immigration rejected visa applications by Mr Adams, as well as the controversial British historian Mr David Irving.