Clinton visit to promote US investment in North

Former US president Bill Clinton will use a visit to the North today to promote the prospect of American investment in the region.

His two-day trip to attend events in Ireland north and south comes ahead of a major Northern Ireland investment conference in Washington next month to be hosted by Hillary Clinton.

Mr Clinton will be in Derry to meet business leaders currently lobbying to build economic links across the Atlantic.

He may also use the visit as an opportunity to honour the contribution of former SDLP leader John Hume to the peace process.

The former president will meet First Minister Peter Robinson and deputy First Minister Martin McGuinness at the University of Ulster's Magee College where he will deliver a keynote address to an invited audience.

Acting Provost of the university Professor Deirdre Heenan said the former president would focus on economic issues.

"This is the third time Mr Clinton has visited the university and it's a great vote of confidence for us and the whole city," she said.

"The event will focus on economic regeneration and how we can survive the current economic crisis we are in and move to create a sustainable economy for Northern Ireland."

Mr Clinton will travel on to Dublin after the engagement where he will open the Clinton Institute for American studies at University College Dublin.

US economic envoy to Northern Ireland Declan Kelly will also attend Magee today.

The economic summit organised by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is scheduled to take place on October 19 in Washington DC.