Sinn Féin concerned over US visa waiver denial
Sinn Féin's Martin McGuinness said today he was concerned at the refusal by the US State Department to grant a visa waiver to a senior party representative.
Mr McGuinness, the party's chief negotiator, said many members of the US Congress had protested to the US Special Envoy for Northern Ireland Mitchell Reiss, and the State Department, over the failure to grant access to Rita O'Hare.
"We are concerned, however, at the refusal to grant a visa waiver to party representative Rita O'Hare, who has been travelling to the US for almost seven years promoting the peace process, regularly meeting with US politicians and Irish America," Mr McGuinness said.
"Huge concern has been expressed by our friends in the US at the decision, and many members of Congress have voiced their protest to US Envoy Mitchell Reiss and the State Department."
Ms O'Hare was due to accompany Mr McGuinness, who has been granted permission to travel, on a trip to New York and Washington next week to meet members of the US administration, Congress and Irish American organisations.
The party's Washington representative - as well as some other Sinn Fein members - must apply for a waiver on each visit to the US as she is ineligible for a US visa.
She has been granted the papers regularly over the past few years.
Under the waiver the person applying must provide a full itinerary, with details of all the places to be visited.
It had been reported that Ms O'Hare was not granted the visa waiver on this occasion as she deviated from her agreed itinerary on a recent visit to the US.
However, Mr McGuinness said: "It is worth noting that since January Ms O'Hare has applied for and received two visa waivers to visit the US in March and April."
Mr McGuinness also welcomed the statement from the US State Department that there had been no change in policy with regard to Sinn Fein.
Ms O'Hare and Mr McGuinness met the US Ambassador to Ireland, James Kenny, today to update him on the state of the peace process.
Mr McGuinness said: "We have been in contact with the Irish and British governments and the White House in recent days to get the process back on track."
