United States has been tapped to address a gala fundraising dinner at the Southampton Princess Hotel in May, two local charities announced yesterday.

Retired US general and Persian Gulf War celebrity Colin Powell is also scheduled to take part in a one-day conference that will feature workshops and seminars "on issues of leadership and empowerment in the education system.'' The $100-a-plate dinner, which is being held in aid of the Bermuda National Education Council and the substance abuse-fighting Council Partners, will take place on May 5.

The conference has been slated for the following day.

"The idea is to encourage and inspire children, using (Gen. Powell) as a real-world model, particularly in the area of leadership,'' BNEC chairman and Sandys Secondary School principal Mr. Melvyn Bassett told a press conference yesterday.

"With all of the negative publicity in relation to youth recently, we felt as a council that we needed to try something positive, and we settled on one of the most positive leaders that we've seen in a while.'' The BNEC, which recently launched a series of public forums on the subject of violence in schools, consists of representatives from at least eight education-related bodies, while the Council Partners is a coalition of five agencies that provide various drug and alcohol programmes.

Mr. Bassett, who said the securing of Gen. Powell as a keynote speaker had cost organisers "two arms and a leg,'' told reporters that the funds to be raised from the dinner would be shared equally by the two organisations.

Even though he has yet to declare his candidacy, the general came in second to US Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole in a recent electoral poll.

GEN. COLIN POWELL: BNEC keynote speaker.