Senator Edward Kennedy, Washington's most influential Irish-American, called today for the IRA to dsiband as a paramilitary force after meeting the five sisters of murdered Belfast man Robert McCartney.

With Sinn Fein and its leader, Gerry Adams, left out in the cold, the McCartney sisters met a high-level delegation of senators including Mr Kennedy, Hillary Clinton and former Republican presidential candidate John McCain.

Senator Kennedy was instrumental in persuading America's political leadership to open a dialogue with Mr Adams in the mid-1990s and the Sinn Fein leader has been a regular fixture at St Patrick's Day celebrations in Washington ever since.

But he was refused meetings by both Mr Kennedy and President Bush this year, and instead the guests of honour at tomorrow's festivities are to be the McCartney sisters and Bridgeen Hagans, Mr McCartney's partner.

After meeting the six women, Mr Kennedy said that their presence in Washington "sends a very powerful signal that it's time for the IRA to fully decommission, end all criminal activity and cease to exist as a paramilitary organisation".

He told a news conference: "No political party can also have an armed unit that continues violence and criminality.

"We would certainly hope that the leadership of Sinn Fein... understands what an albatross the IRA is on them and for the cause of peace in Ireland."

But he dismissed a suggestion that Mr Adams should now be treated lilke the late Yassir Arafat - as an unreliable peace partner - adding: "There's a time to hold 'em and a time to fold 'em and we're overdue in term of a disbandment of the IRA."

Mr McCartney, a 33-year-old father of two, was murdered after a row in a Belfast bar on January 30 involving members of Sinn Fein and the IRA. At least 70 people were in the pub when the brawl began, including two Sinn Fein election candidates, but Belfast police have been unable to break through a wall of silence around the killing.

The Belfast women also met Mitchell Reiss, the US Special Envoy to Northern Ireland, who said: "I stand by all Americans in my admiration for their courage and determination to bring justice for Robert. The United States will do everything it can to support them."

The six women will meet President Bush during St Patrick's Day celebrations at the White House tomorrow. Mr Bush said today: "I’m looking forward to meeting these very brave souls. They’ve committed themselves to a peaceful solution, and hopefully, their loved one will not have died in vain."

One of the sisters, Catherine McCartney, said they knew before their visit that they would have the senators' support.

"We hope that this does produce results on the ground for this family," she said. "Because until it does we cannot move on. We cannot rebuild our lives until these people are brought to justice."

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