It's Friday, April 10th. After months of negotiations, leaders in Northern Ireland's peace talks have approved a historic accord aimed at ending 30 years of political conflict. The deal would end direct British rule of the region but falls short of the IRA's goal of a united Ireland. The pact will be put to a vote next month in both Northern Ireland and the Irish Republic.
Today is about the promise of a bright future.
We wondered what today's political agreement might mean for business in Northern Ireland. Heidi Welsh tracks U.S. investment in Northern Ireland for the Investment Responsibility Research Center in Washington. She says more than 60 U.S. companies are doing business there right now, including DuPont and Seagate Technology. Despite the tentative nature of today's peace agreement, Welsh believes it'll have a positive effect on investment in the region. I think it can only be positive, and this could just mean that investment boosters in Northern Ireland will have an easier time of it.