Sinn Fein's embarrassment is a great step forward for peace

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David Mcittrick: There's plenty of evidence that the IRA is still there

The superficial interpretation of the US Congress finding that the IRA has trained guerrillas in Colombia is that it is another blow to the peace process. It is nothing of the kind.

Of course, it does have negative consequences, and no democrat can be happy that the IRA has so recently co-operated with other terrorist organisations. Nor is it acceptable that Sinn Fein, the IRA's political wing, should have been so evasive about its complicity in this Conradian tale of Latin American ill-doings.

David Trimble, Northern Ireland's First Minister and the leader of the Ulster Unionist Party, has made the expected noises about imposing sanctions on Sinn Fein. But the real pressure will be felt elsewhere.

The Sinn Fein leadership has been deeply embarrassed. The party has a problem with its base in Ireland, where its supporters might not see the drug barons of Colombia as natural allies in the cause of Irish unity. But the Congressional committee has not come up with any important new information, and Sinn Fein is unlikely to feel much of an electoral chill in the Irish Republic elections on 17 May.

The party's big problem, and the substantial positive outcome from the Congressional report, lies in the transformation of US attitudes towards Irish republicanism. This began on 11 September, and now the Colombian rebels' quasi-state is increasingly regarded as the next great entrepôt of global terrorism after Afghanistan.

That means that the attention devoted by the US politico-media complex to the issue of links between the IRA and the Colombian rebels has the potential to destroy the Irish American wellspring of money for Sinn Fein and the IRA. No wonder Gerry Adams decided it would be better not to have his televised testimony associated with such a public relations disaster.

Despite his attempts at damage limitation, however, the harm has been done. It has been done to the war party within Irish republicanism, which can only favour the peace party. That should be the cause of satisfaction.