PMs to address business leaders

PMs to address business leaders

Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his Irish counterpart Brian Cowen are due to meet at Stormont later, to address a major investment conference.

The leaders will speak to more than 100 US executives who are in Northern Ireland for the two-day conference.

It will be the first joint engagement for the prime minister and the new taoiseach.

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is also due to go on walkabout in Belfast city centre.

The guests will be greeted by the First and Deputy First Ministers, Ian Paisley and Martin McGuinness.

Later on Thursday, a gala dinner will be held at Hillsborough Castle.

The investment conference which runs from 7-9 May is the fifth to persuade US firms to invest in NI, the first was after the 1994 IRA ceasefire.

Some 120 executives from 80 companies are attending the 36-hour event which includes a sales pitch from Invest Northern Ireland.

Invest NI hopes this showcase event will persuade at least some of those firms to invest - but as is the nature of these things it could be three years or more before its success can be judged.