At a gala dinner attended by leaders on both sides of Northern Ireland conflict, Irish Prime Minister John Bruton made a personal plea for peace.
Perhaps a little too personal for Sinn Fein leader Gerry Adams' liking.Bruton made a point of noting that Sinn Fein will be barred from talks about Northern Ireland's future unless the Irish Republican Army restores its cease-fire. Adams said the talks should begin without any preconditions.
"I have to say that Sinn Fein is a party, and that ours should be treated the same as all the other parties," he said after the speech. "It would be better for people to talk to Sinn Fein, not to talk at Sinn Fein."
The black-tie American Ireland Fund dinner, which honored President and Mrs. Clinton for their work to promote peace, followed recent bombings in London that signalled the end of the IRA's 17-month cease-fire.
New York Republican Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, and AFL-CIO President John Sweeney also received awards for their support of Irish causes.
First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton accepted the award on behalf of herself and her husband. Others in attendance included John Hume, leader of Northern Ireland's Social Democratic and Labor Party; David Trimble, leader of the Ulster Unionist National Party; U.S. Ambassador to the Vatican Raymond Flynn; and a host of U.S. senators and representatives.