The Bush administration yesterday threw its weight behind the Northern Ireland policing service and those involved in the Policing Board in a lower key than usual celebration of St Patrick's Day in Washington.
Speaking before yesterday morning's White House reception, the SDLP leader Mr Mark Durkan said the Bush administration's focus on policing was not accidental.
"It is not surprising then, that the focus of this St Patrick's Day has been on the bit of the agreement that is working - the policing arrangements," he declared.
Launching an attack on both the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Féin, Mr Durkan went on: "Despite the DUP trying to wreck policing and Sinn Féin trying to duck it, the SDLP is getting in there and delivering the Patten reforms."
The presentation of shamrock by the Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, was witnessed by the US Special Envoy to Ireland, Mr Mitchell Reiss, and US Ambassador Mr James Kenny, though senior administration figures present in the past were absent.
Welcoming the Taoiseach, President Bush, accompanied by his wife, Laura, said jokingly: "This day is always a happy one for Americans. In some places, Americans get a little too happy."
Mr Bush added: "We reaffirm the bonds of friendship between our countries. We remember a courageous man who preached a gospel of peace. We celebrate a heritage that is claimed by millions of my countrymen.
"There's an Irish saying that there is luck in sharing. For more than two centuries, your country and mine have shared responsibilities. We've shared aspirations, and we have shared values.
"From my nation's earliest days, Americans of Irish descent have helped to establish and define America's most cherished principles. They've helped to defend the liberty of their adopted homeland," he went on.
During a lunch on Capitol Hill hosted by the US Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Dennis Hastert, Mr Ahern said Ireland and the US could celebrate "long-standing and deep connections".
"We have come a long way since 1998 and there is no going back. We have built a precious peace process in Ireland," said Mr Ahern, who was accompanied by President Bush. Clannad singer Moya Brennan entertained the Capitol Hill lunch, which was attended by all of the leading Northern Ireland party figures present in Washington.
A large crowd attended the traditional St Patrick's Day reception in the home of the Irish Ambassador to the United States, Mr Noel Fahey. Mr Ahern leaves this morning for an EU meeting in Ottawa with Canadian Premier, Mr Paul Martin.
