New business opportunities in the Gulf States are the focus of a conference being held in Belfast later this week. The event, which has been organised by the Industrial Development Board (IDB), and Northern Ireland Middle East Exports, offers the local business community the chance to meet commercial experts from Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, and Qatar.

The IDB's head of export development Mr Damian McAuley said that there had never been a better time for Northern Ireland companies to focus their attention on "the stable and oil-rich Arabian Gulf".

"With uncertainty gripping the Far East," Mr McAuley said, "this conference provides a great chance for local firms to make important contacts in these areas. There are significant opportunities in almost all sectors of business."

Mr McAuley said that local companies interested in doing business in the Gulf could discuss the region with experienced Northern Ireland exporters, and with the IDB's centre in Dubai.