London - Top US business leaders ended a high-level investment conference in Northern Ireland with a tour of the province Friday inspecting future investment sites. The conference won pledges for major investments in the aerospace and IT sectors, on top of a previous announcement by New York City Comptroller William Thompson that the city would invest 150 million dollars in infrastructure projects in Northern Ireland.
Among those pledging future large-scale investments in the province were Canadian aircraft maker Bombardier, media group Bloomberg, the New York Stock Exchange and software companies Wombat and CyberSource.
British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, who addressed the 120 participants at a dinner Thursday, said there was a "new sense of dynamism" in Northern Ireland following the completion of the peace process and the formation of a power-sharing government a year ago."
He praised the commitment shown by the US, at both the political and the business level. "British-Irish relationships have never been stronger. When we have Britain, Ireland and America working together, nothing can stop us," said Brown.
Ireland's new Prime Minister Brian Cowen said his Dublin-based government, together with the regional government of Northern Ireland, would ensure that the "true economic potential of the area" was unleashed.
Despite the pledges, however, observers said it could take a number of years before their success could be measured.
