Relatives of murder victim Joseph Rafferty have said they are pleased with this morning's meeting with the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, Mitchell Reiss.
The family said he was very supportive and helpful to them in their campaign to bring their brother's killer to justice.
Mr Rafferty’s sister Esther Uzelle, brother-in-law Bart Little and Fianna Fáil Councillor Gary Keegan met Mr Reiss and the US Ambassador, James C Kenny, for about an hour this morning.
Today's meeting is part of a series the Rafferty family are having with US officials to put pressure on Sinn Féin to co-operate with the gardaí in the investigation into the murder of 29-year-old Mr Rafferty, who was shot dead in Dublin last April.
The family say there was IRA involvement in the killing and that Sinn Féin members who have information about it have consistently failed to co-operate with the gardaí, a claim that Sinn Féin has denied.
A file on the case is nearing completion and is due to be sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions.
The Rafferty family will travel to the US later this week to meet a number of senators including Ted Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and John McCain.
They have also made a request to meet the US President, George W Bush.
