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THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

For Immediate Release March 15, 1996 THE WHITE HOUSE

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

Continuing Our Commitment to Peace in Northern Ireland

Economic growth and job creation are the common ground upon which a lasting peace in Northern Ireland can be built and all parties and traditions can agree. Now, more than ever, we must continue to build and expand the already growing commercial network between the United States, Ireland and Northern Ireland to underpin the peace process.

To that end, the Commerce Department will host in the United States a conference to promote trade and investment, focusing on Northern Ireland and the border counties of Ireland. The conference is planned for early fall in Philadelphia. It will be a follow-up to the President's successful visit to Northern Ireland and the Republic last year and the White House Conference for Trade and Investment in Ireland which took place in Washington in May 1995. The conference will focus on public-private partnerships and efforts to spur growth in the region through trade, investment, joint ventures, and strategic alliances.

The Department of Commerce will organize additional trade missions to Northern Ireland and the Republic, beginning with a mission on information technology in the summer of this year. Commerce will also continue to support its commercial information program on the region through its automated fax-on-demand system (tel: 1-800-USA-TRADE) and its internet home page (http://www.itaiep.doc.gov). It will also continue its business intern training program, AMBIT, for managers from the region.

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