Kantor hopeful meeting will aid peace effort

THE US Secretary of State for Commerce, Mr Mickey Kantor, welcomed the 250 delegates to the opening of the US Conference for Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland and the Border Counties.

Stepping in for Senator George Mitchell, who is with President Clinton for a live television debate, Mr Kantor expressed hope that the conference would lead to significant business opportunities which would underline the peace process. Senator Mitchell is now expected to give his speech this afternoon.

In Mr Kantor's main speech later today, he will outline the future development of and plans for the initiative.

But despite the US hospitality and the well meaning words, many delegates were last night questioning the Government's commitment to the event.

The Tanaiste and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mr Spring, will not be attending tonight's gala dinner, which he had been due to host, as he has been sent by the EU to the Middle East. This enforced change of plan did not go down well with some delegates. "The problem is not really for this conference, but it does throw a question mark over any further developments," one delegate said.

However, in an article he wrote in yesterday's Pittsburgh Post Gazette, Mr Spring called for an even greater involvement of US businesses in Ireland. He said he was not appealing to sentiment or charity. "There are strong arguments for economic self interest which speak for themselves."

He called on the participants in the Northern Ireland peace talks to show "leadership, courage and generosity" to reach an accommodation in Northern Ireland.

"The success of these talks will depend on all the participants engaging constructively in the discussions, to compromise, to demonstrate flexibility and to take the necessary risks to gain the prize of peace," he said.

The Northern Secretary, Sir Patrick Mayhew, writing in the same paper, outlined the benefits to US businesses of investing in Northern Ireland. Sir Patrick is due to speak at the gala dinner later tonight.

However, outside the conference centre, the Greater Pittsburgh Irish Coalition was protesting at the involvement of Sir Patrick in both the conference and the peace talks.

The 20 protesters want the McBride Principles more forcefully recognised as well as objecting to what they call Sir Patrick's "obstruction" of the prices.

Mr Tom Murphy, the Mayor of Pittsburgh, also addressed the delegates. Pittsburgh, he said, had turned the corner from being an industrial steel city into one with a successful high tech service economy. "I believe that is something we can share with cities like Belfast," he said.

Speaking about whether any concrete progress would come out of the conference, one delegate said: "It's a bit like Blind Date". He is still unsure which US companies he will be meeting or indeed which companies are attending.

The real business of the conference does not get properly under way until today when almost 400 meetings are scheduled between Irish and American companies.