A 12 person US Congressional delegation will visit Belfast and Dublin later this week to discuss the state of the Northern Ireland peace process. It will be led by Mr Ben Gilman, of New York, the chairman of the influential International Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives.
Other members of the delegation with a particular interest in Irish affairs are Mr Peter King, and Mr James Walsh, both from New York, and Mr Jim Moran, from Virginia.
The delegation will also be visiting London and several European countries to discuss other issues. It will fly into Shannon tomorrow and travel to Belfast where it will meet members of the political parties.