Northern Ireland's First Minister Mr David Trimble has pledged that he and his government will do everything in their power to boost cross-Border trade when it takes office next year.

Mr Trimble told the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland's annual dinner in Dublin last night that Northern unionists had no difficulty with "mutually advantageous co-operation" with the Republic. He said Northern Ireland was anxious to share in the Republic's economic success.

"We in Northern Ireland have watched with admiration the success your economy has enjoyed over the 1990s and we are eager to learn from, and to share, in that success," he told the gathering. See page 2