AROUND 100 delegates were in Belfast last week for an international conference on investment. They included New York City Comptroller, Mr Alan Hevesi, who has encouraged US pension funds, to invest some of their money in Northern Ireland.

Mr Hevesi said investment had been made much more difficult by the violence which followed the stand off between the police and the Orange Order at Drumcree in July.

However, Baroness Denton says Northern Ireland remains "a good investment location". Speaking during a visit to the Belfast computer company, Source "Supplies, the Baroness said "the announcement by Seagate of a £68 million investment, promising 759 jobs, and the visit of key US pension fund managers, are both testimony to that".

Source Supplies was set up by Mr Eamon McErlean and Ms Helen McErlean in 1990, during the worst of the recession. It now employs 26 people, and has a turnover of around £5 million.

The McErleans recently sold the business to the UK firm, ISA International, one of Europe's largest computer supplies companies.

Speaking at the investment conference, Mr Hevesi said the advantages of a growing economy, a well educated, English speaking workforce and a good quality of life we're outweighed by the lack of political and social stability.

"The idea that you riot over the route of a march commemorating a battle of 300 years ago - well, from the outside that's bizarre," he said.

"This is really an attractive place," he said. "It's all there. The problem for Northern Ireland is that the South is equally attractive.

"The IRA called an unconditional ceasefire without a deal," Mr Hevesi said. "But it got no response from the unionists or from the British government. I wish the political leaders would listen to the combatants. They have to make peace. We'll be there if it happens, otherwise we will be looking elsewhere."