THE US administration is committed to continuing support for economic development in Ireland to underpin the peace process, according to Mr Stuart Eizenstat, Washington's Under Secretary for International Trade.

Visiting Dublin yesterday, Mr Eizenstat said that the Commerce Department, under its new secretary, Mr Mickey Kantor, will continue the work of former secretary, Mr Ron Brown, and his undersecretary, Mr Chuck Meissner, who were killed in an air crash last month.

Mr Eizenstat said the administration was "cautiously optimistic" the IRA would restore its ceasefire.

"Whether or not a ceasefire will be declared is very difficult to determine," but the administration hoped it would, so that all parties could participate in the talks due to start on June 10th.

"The US in the end has to be a catalyst and a stimulant," he said.

The talks were a matter for the parties but one of the key supports from the US was through highlighting the "economic payoff of peace".

Underlining the continued US commitment, another business development mission of small to medium sized companies would visit Ireland in mid June, he said.

This will comprise 13 high tech companies. Each will pay $1,600 to visit the Border counties and investigate technology and marketing agreements with potential Irish partners.

He confirmed that the administration was committed to holding a follow up conference to last year's Washington meeting. It will be held in Philadelphia in early October.

It was not yet certain if President Clinton would be personally involved. The conference would concentrate on building trade and investment links in sectors such as food, general manufacturing and high technology.

Mr Eizenstat also highlighted a range of other initiatives. The Commerce Department has established an Internet page which US companies can access to get information about opportunities in Ireland.

And 34 Irish managers from the Border counties and the North have gone to the US to work in partner companies for a period, as part of a business inter partnership programme.

In addition, the administration has hired, for the first time, a commercial specialist in Belfast to support US investors.

Mr Eizenstat said the second reason for his visit was to speak to ministers about a number of key issues ahead of the Irish EU presidency.

The US is pushing for a new information technology agreement which would eliminate tariffs globally on computers, telecommunications and other information technology products.

This would be of major advantage to Ireland, with most of the major US high technology companies operating here, according to Mr Eizenstat.

The US, the EU, Japan and Canada bad decided to work towards this agreement, he said, and the US hoped to push it to a conclusion before the Singapore meeting of ministers from the World Trade Organisation.

The US wanted Ireland to support this agreement during its presidency, he said, warning that "a critical mass of Asian and developing countries" would have to agree to open their markets.

The US is also pushing the Irish presidency to help revive the stalled talks on a world telecommunications agreement under the World Trade Organisation.

The US view is that the key impediment to progress on these talks is "the unwillingness of key Asian countries to make market opening commitments".