The Taoiseach, Bertie Ahern, has met the US President, George W Bush, for the traditional St Patrick's Day shamrock ceremony in the White House.
In his address, Mr Ahern said the people of all Ireland had endorsed the Good Friday Agreement. He said they had not voted for an armed peace or a criminal peace, but for a democratic peace.
Mr Ahern thanked Mr Bush for his personal interventions late last year during crucial negotiations in the Northern Ireland peace process.
He said the work of achieving lasting peace and political partnership in Northern Ireland had to be completed.
Mr Ahern said he and Mr Bush discussed a number of issues, including the Middle East, Sudan, and the undocumented Irish in the US, and the North.
Meanwhile, the sisters and fiancée of the murdered Belfast man, Robert McCartney, have also met Mr Bush at a reception in the White House.
On their way in to the meeting, the McCartneys said they would be asking Mr Bush for his support for their campaign to bring the alleged IRA killers to justice.
Noticeably absent from the celebrations is the Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, who has not been invited to take part. However, Mr Ahern has held a meeting with Mr Adams in Washington.
The meeting is significant in the context of Mr Ahern's meeting with President Bush and after the recent strains between the Government and Sinn Féin over the issue of IRA criminality.
Last night the McCartneys met a group of leading American politicians, including senators Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy.
Speaking afterwards, the family members said they could not rebuild their lives until those who had carried out the killing of their brother were brought to justice.
Last night, Mr Ahern delivered a speech at the American-Ireland Fund dinner in Washington in which he laid out what he believed needed to be done to move the Northern Ireland peace process forward.
He said both the Irish and British governments wanted an end to paramilitarism and criminal activity, as well as the full decommissioning of illegal arms.
Mr Ahern said that in the immediate term it presented a huge challenge for Sinn Féin. However, he said once it was clear that the issue had been dealt with, it also required Unionism to fully embrace the principle and practice of partnership politics.
