Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has agreed to be guest of honor at the American Ireland Fund dinner in Washington D.C. in March around St. Patrick's Day, informed sources tell IrishCentral. She will use her appearance at the dinner to further her view that the resolution of the Irish conflict can be an example for all other conflicts worldwide.

Her presence at the high profile Irish event in Washington will be taken as another example of how committed to Irish issues, especially the peace process in Northern Ireland, she is.

She recently returned from a trip to Northern Ireland where she met with all sides in an attempt to break the deadlock over the devolving of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly.

She has also cited the work of the American Ireland Fund and its role in helping with the peace process in the North. Speaking on Al Jazzera yesterday she told the interviewer that she had recently spoken to the Pakistani American community. "And in talking with many of them, I suggested that it might be appropriate for them to think hard about forming a Pakistan American foundation that would represent the diaspora here in our country, similarly to what the Irish have done. The American Ireland Fund has been a nongovernmental effort which has, over the years, really made a difference in focusing on projects and providing scholarships to young people.”

Clinton stated before becoming Secretary of State that one of her ambitions was to use the role of the Irish in America in helping to solve the Northern Ireland problem as a template for other expatriate communities to help solve issues in their homelands. She now appears to be moving towards using the Irish example as one of her tools in helping resolve other ethnic conflicts.