$150m US investment in NI to be announced

$150m US investment in NI to be announced
Friday, 11 April 2008 07:35

The biggest US investment in Northern Ireland is expected to be announced today in New York.

The $150m investment is due to be confirmed by New York City Comptroller William Thompson and the Trustees of the New York City Pension Funds this afternoon.

Northern Ireland's First Minister Ian Paisley and the Deputy First Minister Martin Mc Guinness will be in New York for the announcement.

It will be seen as a major boost for Northern Ireland's power-sharing administration as it prepares for an economic investment conference in Belfast next month.

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Paisley thanks US for NI support

First Minister Ian Paisley today thanked corporate America for its economic support for Northern Ireland.

Mr Paisley, who was addressing an event in Washington for prominent US business executives, hailed their backing for the Northern Ireland Investment conference taking place in Belfast next month.

He also thanked the Bush administration, the President’s special envoy to Northern Ireland, Ambassador Paula Dobriansky and Mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, who had confirmed he would send a delegation to the conference.

“They have all shown remarkable commitment to the investment conference and to Northern Ireland,” he said.

The conference, Mr Paisley said, would put Northern Ireland firmly on the agenda for US investors.

“It will be a key landmark on the road towards the establishment of a modern dynamic economy which attracts increasing numbers of overseas investors and where our young people have the jobs and the career opportunities which allow them to stay in Northern Ireland,” he said.

Mr Paisley is scheduled to hold talks with Senator Edward Kennedy, Congressman Richard Neal, chairman of the Congressional Friends of Ireland, deputy secretary of state John Negroponte and US treasury undersecretary for international affairs David McCormick during his four-day visit to the US, which began yesterday.