US and Irish trade partnership to expand

INITIATIVES to expand trade and investment and create US-Irish partnerships between the United States, Northern Ireland, and the Republic of Ireland were announced at the US-Ireland summit in Washington DC yesterday.

Fri, 06 Sep, 2002 - 01:00

Tom Wright, Washington

US Secretary of Health and Human services Tommy Thompson revealed plans for a business mission to Ireland on biotechnology, while Dr Andrew von Eschenbach, Director of the National Cancer Institute and Dr Rita Colwell Director of the National Science Foundation, both announced collaborative efforts to foster research and development with their Irish counterparts.

Bringing together over 400 leaders from industry, academia, and politics the summit is focussing on three sectors-biotechnology, information and communication technology (ICT), and financial services.

Key participants include the US secretary for Health Tommy Thompson, the US secretary for commerce Don Evans, Mary Harney, Pat Cox, Sir Reg Empy, and Martin Naughton, Chairman of Glen Dimplex.

Susan Davis, chairperson of the summit, said that the summit is designed to further peace on the island of Ireland by creating wealth and prosperity copper fastening the Good Friday Agreement.

Bipartisan in name only, the summit is a child of the Republican Party and the Bush administration and follows careful planning by Ms Davis, who is also President of the National Assembly of Irish American Republicans. Although President Bush was unable to attend he did send a message of support that was read out to the delegates by the secretary of commerce, Don Evans.

This is good news for government officials North and South who worried that the passing of the Clinton era marked the beginning of declining American interest in Irish affairs. Indeed, American officials have gone out of their way to underline the administration’s determination to stay engaged.

Speaking at the opening of the conference, Mary Harney paid tribute to the conference’s organisers and spoke of a need to reorientate the Irish economy towards a research and development framework.