The Taoiseach, Mr Ahern, has praised US companies in Ireland as "model corporate citizens" but singled out Seagate, which is to close its factory in Clonmel, as one of "very few exceptions".
Mr Ahern, who was addressing US business leaders at an IDA dinner in New York, presented "the extremely positive situation that Ireland faces as this millennium closes". He said "Ireland is enjoying a mood of great confidence and optimism about the future at the moment".
The Taoiseach pointed to the two factors which lie behind this positive mood - "the outstanding performance of the Irish economy and the peace process in Northern Ireland".
He said both the economy and the peace process had "benefited enormously from the involvement and support of the United States" through the contribution of private individuals and companies and the support of the US government.
Mr Ahern today flies to Washington for his first meeting since becoming Taoiseach with President Clinton. He will brief Mr Clinton on the latest situation in the Northern Ireland peace process including the results of his meeting with the British Prime Minister, Mr Tony Blair, in Luxembourg last week.
The Taoiseach in his New York address described American help in the peace process as "invaluable", particularly in encouraging change. "President Clinton has given enormously of his time. He has been generous in his support and courageous in his initiatives. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the contribution of Senator George Mitchell, whose skill as a negotiator, coupled with his independence and impartiality, is a key ingredient to the process."
On the economic front, the Taoiseach said that in 1997 the Irish economy had once again grown faster than any other in the OECD, meriting its popular description as "the Celtic Tiger". Average annual growth from 1994 to the present has been between 7 per cent and 8 per cent and has been running at an average 5 per cent since the turnaround in 1987.
A key factor in this performance was the level of foreign direct investment, especially from the US, which is Ireland's largest source of inward investment. Some 65,000 people are employed in almost 500 US companies.
"With very few exceptions, such as Seagate, most US companies establish a long-term commitment to Ireland and are model corporate citizens," the Taoiseach said. This investment had helped transform the structure and profile of Irish industry.
Nine of the world's top 10 pharmaceutical companies now have significant operations in Ireland. Almost a third of the personal computers sold in Europe come from companies based in Ireland, which has also become "the capital of Europe for software localisation and production".
Ireland has also been "the most profitable location for US investment, with return on investment being almost four times the EU and world averages over the past five years," Mr Ahern said. "We will continue to offer an effective base for US enterprises."
Later today the Taoiseach, who is accompanied on this trip by Ms Celia Larkin, will fly to Boston for a dinner hosted by Senator Edward Kennedy and Mrs Kennedy at the John F. Kennedy Library.
Tomorrow he will attend a Fianna Fail function in Boston and visit the Irish Management Centre at Boston College before returning to Dublin.