US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is to host an economic conference in Washington next month to promote investment and job creation in Northern Ireland.
Her husband and former US president, Bill, will visit Northern Ireland beforehand in support of the campaign to woo US multinationals.
Details of the initiative were given by Mrs Clinton's economic envoy to Northern Ireland, Tipperary-born Declan Kelly, in Belfast this afternoon.
He said this is possibly the first time that a US administration will host a gathering focusing on economic development in one region of the world.
