THE chairman of a Georgia based corporation has said that his company is examining the possibility of setting up an operation in Northern Ireland because of the incentives on offer from the IDB, and its position as a gateway to Europe.

Mr Charles Watt, chairman of the Scientific Research Corporation in Atlanta, was a member of the British American Business Group (BABG), which visited Belfast last week as part of a fact finding mission to some UK regions. The group was formed 13 years ago and has 500 members.

"Northern Ireland is one of the options we are investigating as a possible investment target," Mr Watt said. "The financial incentives on offer are certainly very attractive to US companies."

However, the visit coincided with renewed bomb alerts, the continuing row over the Loyalist picket on the Catholic church in Ballymena, and attacks on the security forces, provoking fears that the message the delegation takes back to the United States may be a negative one.

But Mr Wesley Devoto, principal partner in the Atlanta firm Devoto and Company, said the group was undeterred by the lack of progress in the peace process. "We have political difficulties in the US as well," he said. "Northern Ireland is a great jumping off point for Europe, and the quality of technology graduates here makes it a very significant opportunity."

BABG president Mr Frank Baker said there were also opportunities for Northern Ireland firms in Atlanta. "It's one of the fastest growing business regions in the US," he said.