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Bilderberg conference 2003: Versailles,
Paris, France - Thursday 15th to Sunday 18th May
Latest
Some
Bilderberg 2003 news articles
BILDERBERG MEETINGS
Versailles, France, 15-18th May 2003
CURRENT LIST OF PARTICIPANTS
B - Honorary Chairman - Davignon, Etienne - Vice-Chairman, Societe Generale de Belgique
GB - Honorary Secretary General - Taylor. J Martin - Chairman WH Smith PLC; International advisor, Goldman Sachs International
F - Adler, Alexandre - Editorial counsel, Le Figaro (*)
I - Ambrosetti, Alfredo - Chairman Ambrosetti Group
TR - Babacan, Ali - Minister of Economic Affairs
GR - Bakoyannis, Dora - Mayor of Athens
GB - Balls, Edward - Chief Economic Advisor to the Treasury
P - Balsemão, Francisco Pinto - Professor of Communication Science, New University, Lisbon; Chairman and CEO, IMPRESA, S.G.P.S.; Former Prime Minister
P - Barroso, José M. Durão - Prime Minister
TR - Bayar, Mehmet A. - Deputy Chairman of DYP (True Path Party)
A - Becker, Erich - Chairman of the Managing Board and CEO, VA Technologie AG
I - Bendetti, Rodolfo de - Managing Director CIR S.p.A.
I - Bernabè, Franco - Chairman Franco Bernabe & C. S.p.A.
F - Beytout, Nicolas - Editor-in-Chief, Les Echos
KW - Bishara, Ahmad E. - Secretary General of Kuwait's liberal National Democratic Party
CDN - Black, Conrad M. - Chairman, Telegraph Group Limited
INT - Bolkestein, Frits - Internal Markets Commissioner, European Commission
USA - Bolton, John R. - Under-Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security
F - Bon, Michel - Honorary Chairman, France Telecom
F - Bruguière, Jean-Louis - First Vice President, Justice Department
D - Burda, Hubert - Publisher and CEO, Hubert Burda Media Holding GmbH & Co.
F - Camus, Phillipe - CEO, European Aeronautics Defence and Space company European Aeronautics Defence and Space company (EADS)
INT - Cary, Anthony J. - Head of Christopher Patten's cabinet, EU. [Patten is European Commissioner for Enlargement]
F - Castries, Henri de - Chairman of the Board, AXA
E - Cebrián, Juan Luis - CEO, PRISA
B - Claes, Willy - Minister of State [Willy Claes is not now a Belgian Minister but former Belgian Foreign Minister and former Secretary General of NATO 1994-1995 - now disgraced - TG]
GB - Clarke, Kenneth - Member of Parliament, [former Chancellor of the Exchequer]
USA - Collins, Timothy C. - Senior Managing Director and CEO, Ripplewood Holdings LLC
F - Collomb, Bertrand - Chairman and CEO, Lafarge
F - Copé, Jean-François - Secretary of State in charge of relations with Parliament; Government Spokesman
USA - Corzine, Jon S. - Senator (D, New Jersey)
S - Dahlbäck, Claes - Chairman, Investor AB
GR - David, George A. - Chairman of the Board, Coca-Cola H.B.C. S.A.
USA - Donilon, Thomas E. - Executive Vice President, Fannie Mae
I - Draghi, Mario - Vice-Chairman and Managing Director, Goldman Sachs International
DK - Eldrup, Anders - CEO, Danish Oil and Gas Corporation
USA - Feldstein, Martin S. - President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research
CDN - Fell, Anthony S. - Chairman, RBC Dominion Securities Inc.
USA - Friedman, Thomas L. - Foreign Affairs Columnist, The New York Times
F - Gergorin, Jean-Luis - Executive Vice President, Strategic Coordination, European Aeronautics Defence and Space company (EADS)
USA - Gigot, Paul A. - Editorial page editor, The Wall Street Journal
F - Giscard d'Estaing, Valéry - French President 1974-81; Chairman of the Convention on the Future of Europe
N - Gjedrem, Svein - Governor, Central Bank of Norway
IRL - Gleeson, Dermot - Chairman designate, Allied Irish Banks, p.l.c.
GB - Gould, Philip - Public Relations Adviser to Prime Minister Blair
USA - Haass, Richard N. - Director, Office of Policy Planning Staff, State Department
NL - Halberstadt, Victor - Professor of Economics, Leiden University; Former honorary Secretary General of Bilderberg Meetings
CDN - Harper, Stephen - Leader of the Opposition
USA - Hertog, Roger - Vice-Chairman, Alliance Capital Management
NL - Hoop Scheffer, Jaap G. de - Minister for Foreign Affairs
USA - Hubbard, Allan B. - President, E&A Industries
USA - Hubbard, R. Glenn - Russell L. Carson Professor of Economics and Finance, Columbia University
USA - Johnson, James A. - Vice Chairman, Perseus L.L.C.
USA - Jordan, Jr., Vernon E. - Senior Managing Director, Lazard Freres & Co. L.L.C.
CH - Kielholz, Walter B. - Former Chairman of the Board, Credit Suisse; Executive Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, Swiss Re
GB - King, Mervyn A. - Deputy Governor, Bank of England
USA - Kissinger, Henry A. - Chairman, Kissinger Associates, Inc.; Member, Defense Policy Board; Member J.P. Morgan International Council
FIN - Kivinen, Olli - Senior Editor & Columnist, Helsingin Sanomat
NL - Kok, Wim - Former Prime Minister
D - Kopper, Hilmar - Former Chairman of the Supervisory Board, Deutsche Bank AG
USA - Kravis, Henry R. - Founding Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co.
USA - Kravis, Marie-Joseé - Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc.
INT - Lamy, Pascal - Trade Commissioner, European Commission
F - Lellouche, Pierre - Vice Chairman, NATO Parliamentary Assembly (**)
F - Lévy-Lang, André - Former Chairman, Paribas
S - Lindh, Anna - Minister for Foreign Affairs
FIN - Lipponen, Paavo - Former Prime Minister; Speaker of the Parliament
DK - Lykketoft, Mogens - Chairman, Social Democrat Party
CDN - MacMillan, Margaret O. - Provost, Trinity College, University of Toronto
RUS - Margelov, Mikhail V. - Chairman, Committee for Foreign Affairs, Council of Federation
F - Montbrial, Thierry de - President, French Institute of International Relations (IFRI)
INT - Monti, Mario - Competition Commissioner, European Commission
USA - Mundie, Craig J. - Chief Technical Officer, Advanced Strategies and Policy, Microsoft Corporation
N - Myklebust, Egil - Chairman, Norsk Hydro ASA
D - Naas, Matthias - Deputy Editor, Die Zeit
NL - Netherlands, H.M. the Queen of the [Queen Beatrix - Royal Dutch Shell]
PL - Olechowski, Andrzej - Leader, Civic Platform
FIN - Ollila, Jorma - Chairman of the Board and CEO, Nokia Corporation
INT - Padoa-Schioppa, Thomasso - Member of the Executive Board, European Central Bank
I - Panara, Marco - Journalist, La Republica
I - Passera, Corrado - Managing Director, Banca IntesaBCI
USA - Perkovich, George - Vice President for Studies, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
USA - Perle, Richard N. - Member, Defense Policy Board ; Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute (AEI) for Public Policy Research; member Project for a New American Century (PNAC)
B - Philippe, H.R.H. Prince - Crown Prince of Belgium
I - Poli, Roberto - Chairman, Eni S.p.A.
F - Ranque, Denis - Chairman and CEO, Thales Aerospace and Defence
DK - Rasmussen, Anders Fogh - Prime Minister
CDN - Reisman, Heather - President and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc.
F - Riboud, Franck - Chairman and CEO, Danone Foods
CH - Ringier, Michael - CEO, Ringier AG
USA - Rockefeller, David - Member, J.P. Morgan International Council
P - Rodrigues, Eduardo Ferro - Leader of the Socialist Party; Member of Parliament
E - Rodriguez Inciarte, Matias - Executive Vice Chairman, Banco Santander Central Hispano
F - Roy, Olivier - Senior Researcher, CNRS
USA - Ruggie, John - Director, Center for Business and Government, Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University
NL - Ruys, Anthony - Chairman of the Board, Heineken N.V.
TR - Sanberk, Özdem - Director, Turkish Economic and Social Studies Foundation
I - Scaroni, Paolo - Managing Director, Enel S.p.A.
D - Schäuble, Wolfgang - Deputy Parliamentary Leader, CDU/CSU Group
D - Schily, Otto - Minister of the Interior
A - Scholten, Rudolf - Member of the Board of Executive Directors, Oesterreichische Kontrollbank AG
D - Schrempp, Jurgen E - Chairman of the Board of Management, Daimler Chrysler AG
INT - Schwab, Klaus - President, World Economic Forum
DK - Seidenfaden, Toger - Editor in Chief, Politiken
RUS - Shevtsova, Lilia - Senior Associate, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
E - Spain, H.M. the Queen of [King Juan Carlos (see photo) arrived with the queen, but he is not on this list]
USA - Steinberg, James B. - Vice President and Director, Foreign Policy Studies Program, The Brookings Institution
CDN - Steyn, Mark - Journalist for various publications
IRL - Sutherland, Peter D. - Chairman and Managing Director, Goldman Sachs International; Chairman, BP Amoco
USA - Thornton, John L. - President and CEO, Goldman Sachs Group, Inc.
F - Trichet, Jean Claude - Governor, Banque de France
GR - Tsoukalis, Loukas - Professor, University of Athens; President Hellenic Foundation for European and Foreign Policy
A - Trumpel-Gugerell, Gertrude - Vice Governor, Central Bank of Austria
CH - Vasella, Daniel L. - Chairman and CEO, Novartis AG
NL - Veer, Jeroen van der - President, Royal Dutch Petroleum Company; Vice Chairman of the Committee of Managing Directors of Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies
F - Villin, Philippe - Vice Chairman, Lehman Brothers Europe
NL - Vries, Klaas de - Member of Parliament (Labour); Former Minister of the Interior
FIN - Whalroos, Björn - President and CEO, Sampo plc.
S - Wallenberg, Jacob - Chairman of the Board, Skandinavivska Enskilda Banken
GB - Williams, Gareth - Leader of the House of Lords
GB - Wolf, Martin H. - Associate Editor/Economics Commentator, The Financial Times
USA/INT - Wolfensohn, James D. - President, The World Bank
USA - Wolfowitz, Paul - Deputy Secretary of Defense, US Department of Defense
USA - Zakaria, Fareed - Editor, Newsweek International
USA - Zoellick, Robert - Principal Trade Adviser to the President
D - Zumwinkel, Klaus - Chairman, Deutsche Post Worldnet AG
GB - Micklethwait, R. John - United States Editor, The Economist
GB - Rachman, Gideon - Brussels Correspondent, The Economist
* It is interesting to note that Alexandre Adler is a 2003 Bilderberger. He is also a freemason and political commentator. He broadcasts about history, historical reviews, books. Do the Bilderbergers want to write an history of their own, the 'official' version? Adler is certainly their spokesman. He wrote a messianic book on the 9/11 attacks titled "J'ai vu finir le monde ancien" ("I saw the old world ending"). Does this means the rise of the New World Order?
** Pierre Lellouche is one of the few French politicians who supported the war against Iraq, while Chirac opposed Bush. Chirac's government is under-represented in this list.
The five star hotel, next door to the palace of Versailles and one of the
most exclusive in Paris, is surrounded by two tight cordons of french riot
police, the infamous CRS. Amongst the various guests, taken from the NATO
and EU countries, Perle is a particularly controversial figure - remaining
a member of the U.S. defence policy board who pushed for the Iraq war his
companies are likely to profit directly from the so-called 'war on terrorism'.
As a key architect of the illegal Iraq war the invasion will add to
his private fortune (see
Commondreams
and Seymore Hersh's New Yorker
article). Colin Powell is expected to deliver a report to the conference
today (Saturday) on his way back home from Germany and the Middle East.
The
hotel has been cordoned off and is impossible to see. Friendly staff say
windows have been blacked out to stop photographers who get inside the riot
barriers from snapping secret guests inside. The conference agenda is supposed
to be secret but leaks strongly indicate management of the Iraq and Palestine
invasions as well as a final push for a European Army are top of the list
this year. Any 'consensus' reached inside is an artificial one because so
many of the guests are elitists and have much to lose by sharing their wealth
and power with ordinary people. Conference organisers are available on the
hotel telephone line and will be able to fax out an agenda and list of
participants from Sunday afternoon.
Despite the ultra high-powered businessmen and royalty in attendance, no
journalists from any media outlet controlled by Bildererg multinational bosses
such as Rupert Murdoch and Conrad Black are covering it. BBC Radio 4 are
making a documentary for broadcast on Thursday 3rd July and independent
journalists from Iceland, Norway and Turkey too. Journalists from London
magazine, The Economist, are inside Bilderberg every year but since one
curious 'mistake' in the 1980's
never mention the conference in their pages.
The anti-globalisation French daily newspaper, 'Liberation', says it might
cover the Bilderberg conference in a few weeks time. Many journalists are
afraid of the power the Bilderbergers wield and believe lies accusing key
Bilderberg investigative journalists
American Free
Press of being neo-nazis. In fact Bilderberg conferences were started
in 1954 by Queen Beatrix's father, Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands. He
was a card-carrying member of Hitler's
SS under the Nazi regime.
I shall attempt to distribute the Bilderberg press release
on
PEPIS
- along with a description of the agenda when/if I get it.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/070605Estulin/070605estulin.html
By Daniel Estulin - Online Journal Contributing Writer
Editor's Note: Daniel Estulin and his family were expelled from the Soviet Union on March 23, 1980, for anti-Soviet activity. His father, a prominent scientist and a dissident, spent 3½ years in prison for seeking freedom of speech for his fellow citizens. Fearing for his life for his daring exposes of corruption, manipulation and power grabbing, Estulin has voluntarily exiled himself to Spain. His dramatic personal stories are a rare look behind the scenes at how the most powerful secret society in the world has tried to stop one of the most determined men in the world from discovering its secrets.
July 6, 2005-"I would like to speak to you." I instinctively turned to my right, except that there was no one there. The gentleman who was seeking the pleasure of my company stood slightly behind me, as if using my right shoulder as a temporary refuge. "Stay seated, please," hissed his shadow, noisily letting his breath out.
"You would please pardon me, dear sirs, but I am not accustomed to being told what to do, especially since your company has not been sought," I brazenly replied.
"Mr. Estulin, we are sorry to intrude into your space but we would very much like to speak to you," said the first gentleman, extending a flaccid hand in the hope I might chose to shake it. "Needless to say, we ask your maximum discretion."
I could tell from his linguistic pirouettes that he learned his English in one of those posh British institutions or from a private tutor, one of these fake literati who could not extricate himself from clumsy errors of syntax.
"How do you know my name? I don't remember offering it to you."
"We know quite a bit about you, Mr. Estulin."
I could tell that the mysterious gentleman was beginning to feel more relaxed in my company.
"Please have a seat," I said, noting privately that I, too, was beginning to loosen up.
He lowered his gaze, automatically fishing out his cigarette case out of the breast pocket of his well-cut jacket, and began to examine it.
I sat on my bar stool waiting for one of them to break the silence.
"For example, we know you are here to cover the Bilderberg conference. That you have been following us around for many years. That somehow, you seem to know the exact location of every meeting, even though most of the attendees do not find out the where it will be held until a week prior to the conference. That as much as we have tried to cover our tracks and to take all the necessary precautions, you seem to know what we discuss and most of our future plans.
"Our choice of some of the attendees has even been influenced by your meddling, Mr Estulin. At one point we had thought that we had you found out. That a certain member not invited to the conference was your inside contact. And that were you to be wrong in your post-conference predictions, the unsuspecting member could have suffered great, personal consequences. Fortunately for him, you were spot on."
"Kent accent," I thought.
"How do you know all this stuff?" asked the not too intelligent second fiddle.
"It is a professional secret," was my turn to reply laconically.
I looked the man over. The second fiddle was broad-shouldered, had yellow hair, cropped moustache, huge arching eyebrows, a diminutive mouth that folded itself into a geometrically acceptable smile and a high-strung temperament. His coarse moustache and fat nose, would twitch tensely every time it was my turn to speak.
Behind us, forming part of an incomprehensible mass of a barely audible group of Welch tourists sat a hunchbacked, bearded man, wearing leather gloves and a travelling cap, known to be a lover of music (that's what the fat lady with an oversized mole on her chin was telling everyone in a hushed tone).
"You are quite an enigma, sir." My mysterious no name speaker repositioned his spindly legs, inserted his right hand into trouser pocket letting the divergent coat flaps reveal the watch chain across the waistcoat and said with a businesslike tone, "Now, then," and, with a glance at the restless fingers of his companion, began to speak in a quiet, yet firm tone.
"Why do you follow us around? You don't work for any newspaper of renown. You write articles that make our members uncomfortable. Several congressmen in America and members of Parliament in Canada were forced to cancel their presence at our annual meeting when you named them as invited guests."
"You can't win," hissed the second fiddle.
"Bilderberg Group, Mr. Estulin, is a private forum where off-the-record friendly discussion takes place amongst influential members of the business community. Politicians are invited to share their personal and professional experiences with the group. All this is done with the hope that these types of forums can bridge the gap between the high stakes politics and the greater needs of the world's peoples. In no way, do we try to influence governments´ policy or decision making."
"Bullshit!!!" I snapped. I could feel my neck muscles swelling, my widespread fingers tensed. The first violin emitted a faint grunt.
"I suppose Kennedy was killed by extraterrestrials, that Nixon was pushed out of office by your grandmother, that the 1973 oil crisis was the fault of Winnie-the-Pooh. Had it not been for our effort, Canada by now would have become part of the Greater United States. Why did you people kill Aldo Moro?"
"You know we can't tell you anything, Mr. Estulin. I did not come to argue with you, sir."
At a round table by the window, two German tourists, an unemployed man with pink-rimmed watery eyes, and the bartender's first cousin played cards with great gusto.
At an adjacent table, there sat a flabby, bald elderly myopic man with an oversized grey suit and enormous horn-rimmed glasses, a permanent shadow cast on his florid face by a black beard that had once been permitted to grow for a long time, and a greyish moustache, carelessly clipped. He ordered rum, filled his pipe, and gazed at the game absent-mindedly.
Punctually at 11:45, he knocked out his pipe, stuffed it into his pants pocket, paid for the rum and silently left.
"Would it be too much to ask of you if we spoke off the record?"
"I don't usually speak off the record, especially where Bilderberg is concerned. You are free to relay what I said to David [Rockefeller], Henry [Kissinger] or that repulsive, Americanised French Canadian woman who whores for one of Rockefeller's numerous foundations." I found myself enjoying the confrontation hoping to force the first fiddle into losing his temper.
The first fiddle rattled on for a few minutes about the virtues of partnerships, collaboration amongst nations, starving children in Africa and other mind-boggling stuff.
I tried to concentrate on listening, but soon caught myself watching the second fiddle's face. His either smiled vacantly or licked his moustache.
When the sounds of the first fiddle grew into insistent thunder, I snapped back to reality.
"We can really make it worth your while, Mr. Estulin. What conditions would you wish to impose?"
A huge moon burned through the trees. The street lights blinked along. You could make out faint sounds of overcrowded restaurants in the distance, and the barking of dogs. The three of us remained silent for several minutes.
I could tell the second fiddle felt embarrassed to keep silent while awkwardly sitting on the edge of the bar stool. No doubt he was trying to invent an intelligent question or a sound remark.
The unknown middle-aged gentleman materialised from the corridor, got down the stairs, paused, then paused again, lost in thought. His walk had the solidity characteristic of short-legged people. A moment later a man disappeared into the night, pushing his way through a revolving door.
The first fiddle fingered the cigarette, gently stroking it, biting his lower lip and pondering something. His eyes did not really look at the cigarette but into the distance.
"As a condition for my silence, I would like all future Bilderberg meetings to be publicly announced with free and unimpeded access granted to any journalist who wishes to attend. All conferences are to be on-the-record, the list of attendees to be released to the public in advance of the event. No CIA, guns, dogs, private security and, most of all, NO SECRECY!"
"You know we can't do that, Mr. Estulin. The stakes are too high and it is very late in the game."
"Then, sir," I replied, "you will just have to put up with me until the referee blows the final whistle."
From the drawing room came a rapid succession of piano notes, loud talk, and laughter and the exclamation of children. The first fiddle's reflection in the sitting room mirror did up the velvet buttons of a reflected waistcoat.
"Good evening, Mr. Estulin." The first fiddle not for a moment lost his manners. His delicacy indeed, was outstanding.
"That's why they must have sent him," I thought. Perhaps, under different set of circumstances we might even have become friends.
The second fiddle, the proverbial comic relief, drew in air and quickly let it out again. He doffed his hat and, holding it with both hands in front of him, walked out in step with his boss.
The only other people in the hotel lobby were two women with sleepy, drooping faces, and a travelling salesman, with a dyed beard, wearing a sleeveless vest of black velvet over a heavily abused white monogrammed dress shirt.
"How strange that his knees should be trembling," I thought. This was really a shattering experience. Only then, did I realise how much was at stake. That this was no mere conversation between their emissary and me. The two men crossed the square and disappeared into the night. What a dreadful feeling of uneasiness. I had remained as determined and as invulnerable as I had been in the past. And nevertheless, I knew that from now on, my life was to be permanently in danger.
The above took place at the Trianon Park Hotel in Versailles, France, at the time of the 2003 Bilderberg meeting (15-18 May).
Daniel Estulin is an award-winning investigative journalist who has been researching the Bilderbergers for over 13 years. Estulin was one of only two journalists in the world who witnessed and reported (from beyond the heavily guarded perimeter) the super secret meeting at the Dorint Sofitel Seehotel in Rottach-Egern, Munich, Bavaria, Germany, on May 5-8, 2005. He can be reached at d.estulin@ctconsultoria.com.
http://www.onlinejournal.com/Special_Reports/070605Estulin/070605estulin.html
By JACQUES STEINBERG and GERALDINE FABRIKANT
New York Times - Published: December 22, 2003
On the dust jacket of his recently published biography of Franklin D. Roosevelt, Conrad M. Black, the embattled media magnate, collected laudatory blurbs from an impressive set of conservative thinkers.
Henry A. Kissinger writes, "No biography of Roosevelt is more thoughtful and readable." The columnist George F. Will calls the book a "delight to read." And William F. Buckley Jr. commends the biography as "a learned volume on F.D.R. by a vital critical mind."
What the blurbs did not mention was that each man was praising the work of a sometime boss. During the 1990's, Lord Black had appointed all three to an informal international board of advisers of Hollinger International, the newspaper company he controlled. For showing up once a year with Lord Black to debate the world's problems, each was typically paid about $25,000 annually (until the board was disbanded in 2001).
The advisory board was one example of how friendships with the rich and often politically influential overlapped with business in Lord Black's world. The board became a who's who of mostly conservative thinkers and politicians that included Margaret Thatcher, Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, Zbigniew Brzezinski, Richard N. Perle, and the former head of Archer Daniels Midland, Dwayne O. Andreas.
Lord Black enjoyed more than just conversation from the advisers Hollinger paid for. Mr. Will and Mr. Buckley have since written positively about Lord Black in their columns, though without mentioning their business dealings. And three other members of the advisory board also joined Hollinger's board as directors.
But now, as Lord Black and Hollinger face inquiries by the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Justice Department into more than $200 million that he and his top executives collected, these interlocking relationships may come to haunt not only Lord Black but the directors who oversaw the company while these payments were being made. In some cases, the directors had themselves accepted additional payments from the company.
Lord Black, who is scheduled to testify before the S.E.C. today, has been advised by his lawyers to invoke the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination because they think he has not had time to review all the documents related to the current issues, according to people with knowledge of the discussions.
The seemingly porous boundary among Lord Black's social, political and business lives, which was reflected in the composition of the Hollinger board, has been thrown into relief by the investigation. In the 1990's, Mr. Kissinger, Mr. Perle and Mr. Andreas all served as directors at times when they were also getting paid (by the company) for their advice to Lord Black. Lord Black, as well as Mr. Kissinger, Mr. Perle and Mr. Andreas, last week declined requests for interviews.
A closer look at the members of Lord Black's inner circle sheds light not just on board oversight but also on how he managed to transform himself as Hollinger grew from an obscure Canadian company that owned mines and supermarkets into the owner of more than 100 daily newspapers, including The Daily Telegraph in London, The Jerusalem Post and The Chicago Sun-Times.
In the process, Lord Black became a throwback press baron who lived lavishly on Park Avenue, in Palm Beach and in London and was at ease in the most prominent salons in the world. His annual Hollinger Dinner attracted the likes of Ronald Reagan and Richard M. Nixon.
"I think Conrad did these things less for the bottom line than to create the aura that group gave him," said Peter Munk, the founder and chairman of Barrick Gold, and someone who briefly served on an earlier incarnation of the Hollinger board before resigning in the mid-1990's. "He reveled in that aura."
Mr. Brzezinski, who was national security adviser in the Carter administration, said he first met Lord Black perhaps four decades ago at one of several international conferences that they frequented. One is known as Bilderberg Group, a conclave of business and political leaders from North America and Europe that meets each year for discussions that are off the record.
"He's an extremely intelligent guy, very well read," Mr. Brzezinski said.
In the early 1990's, Lord Black decided to form a miniature Bilderberg of his own by creating a board to advise Hollinger on international affairs, according to "Shades of Black," a biography by Richard Siklos, a former reporter for Business Week and The Financial Post, a Toronto business newspaper.
In its earliest incarnations, the advisory board included Mr. Kissinger, Mr. Perle and Mr. Brzezinski, as well as Paul A. Volcker, the former head of the Federal Reserve; Chaim Herzog, the former president of Israel, who died in 1997; and Lady Thatcher, Mr. Siklos wrote. They were joined by others, including Mr. Will and Mr. Buckley.
Though Lord Black frequently found room for liberals on his list of dinner guests, the members of the advisory panel usually shared his conservative views.
At the advisory meetings, each participant would be assigned a topic. At times, given the weight of expertise in the room, the conversations extended to a second day.
"For quite a while, Mrs. Thatcher would participate," Mr. Brzezinski said. "I was one of those people who suggested to Conrad that it wasn't productive to hear her speak at such length."
Lady Thatcher did not respond to messages left for her at her foundation in Britain.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3334909.stm
19Dec03 - BBC
The first female prime minister of Finland has been charged with inciting or assisting a former presidential aide to leak official secrets.
Anneli Jaatteenmaki stepped down in June after 63 days in office, in a row over information she used in the election campaign to attack her rival.
She claimed that Paavo Lipponen, the then prime minister, undermined Finnish neutrality by backing the Iraq war.
She denies having asked for the secret documents which backed up her claims.
At the time the documents backing her claim were published on her website. Some appeared later in local tabloids.
Finland's top prosecutor also charged presidential aide Martti Manninen with leaking official secrets on Friday.
He is alleged to have given them to Ms Jaatteenmaki. They could face up to two years in prison if they are found guilty.
The ex-prime minister issued a brief statement saying she was "disappointed" but did not oppose a public trial.
"In my own opinion, during the preliminary investigations I have shown that I am not guilty of punishable behaviour," she said.
The trial will open in Helsinki in February.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/3334909.stm
Jamie Doward and Jessica Hodgson
The Observer - Sunday November 23, 2003
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1091628,00.html
A powerful banking group with close links to the Pentagon, which has also invested money on behalf of the Bin Laden family, is in talks to bail out beleaguered Daily Telegraph owner Conrad Black.
The revelation suggests that Britain's bestselling broadsheet - coveted by rival newspaper barons because of its political influence - may not go under the hammer after all, as Lord Black tries to quell a shareholder rebellion in the face of allegations that he and several acolytes pocketed millions of dollars that was not theirs to take.
Daily Express owner Richard Desmond and the Daily Mail & General Trust, which owns the Daily Mail, are keen to buy the Telegraph titles, despite the fact that questions over the concentration of media ownership would be raised.
The Carlyle Group, known as the Ex-Presidents Club because of the number of former world leaders it employs, is considering taking a stake in Hollinger International, which owns the Telegraph titles, the Jerusalem Post and the Chicago Sun-Times, according to those close to the firm.
'It's unusual for a group of assets to come to the market like this. We would look to sell off the Jerusalem Post and Hollinger's stake in the New York Sun. Conrad [Black] would have to step out of management, but that does not mean he would have to let go of his equity stake,' said a Carlyle source. 'Ideally, we would look to take a 25-40 per cent stake. That would allow us to put people on the board,' the source added.
The move would represent a coup for Black, who is desperate not to sell the Telegraph titles, which have given him considerable influence within British politics and earned him a close friendship with Margaret Thatcher.
Carlyle, - which employs former Prime Minister John Major as a director, boasts George Bush Snr and his Secretary of State, James Baker, as advisers, and is headed by Frank Carlucci, Ronald Reagan's Defence Secretary - has invested in media firms previously. The group once owned 40 per cent of France's Le Figaro, and more recently acquired part of French conglomerate Vivendi's publishing assets.
It also part-owns Qinetiq, the Government's privatised defence research laboratories, and CSX Lines, a logistics firm that specialises in shipping heavy equipment for the military. In the past, Carlyle has owned Vinnell, a company that trained the Saudi army.
If Carlyle - which, despite being only 15 years old, manages more than $14 billion in funds on behalf of investors such as George Soros and the Bin Laden family (who are estranged from their son Osama) - does take a stake in Hollinger, questions are bound to be asked over the links between the two firms, both of which have powerful links to the military.
Leading foreign policy hawks Richard Perle and Henry Kissinger sit on the Hollinger board. Black himself is a member of the secretive Bilderberg group, an organisation comprising the world's leading businessmen and politicians, which some have accused of being an alternative world government.
In a separate move, it has emerged that Wall Street fund manager Tweedy Browne will take legal action against the Hollinger board if it is not satisfied with the company's actions.
Shareholders are angry that tens of millions of dollars that Black and fellow directors took in 'non-compete' fees did not go to Hollinger.
'I want to know how this board came to pay out a red cent to these people,' said Tweedy Browne analyst Laura Jeresky.
Hollinger is the subject of an inquiry by the US Securities and Exchange Commission. Investigators are keen to understand the company's relationship with Ravelston Corporation, which is privately owned by Black and has been the beneficiary of millions of dollars which shareholders say should be returned to them.
Toronto-based Ravelston pays millions of dollars in management fees to Ravelston Management Inc (RMI). There are suggestions that RMI may be based in a tax haven. Hollinger spokesman Paul Healy declined to comment.
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1091628,00.html
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2-898880,00.html
http://politics.guardian.co.uk/media/story/0,12123,1091628,00.html
http://www.forbes.com/home_europe/newswire/2003/11/26/rtr1160844.html
http://media.guardian.co.uk/diary/0,11503,355024,00.html
http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=264755&lang=e&dir=news
Mon 22 September, 2003 15:26 BST
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=376518§ion=news
Dutch foreign minister to become NATO secretary- general
By Paul Gallagher
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Foreign Minister Jaap de Hoop Scheffer likes to sit in the cockpit when his government jet hurtles towards take-off. But the ex-airforce officer could be in for a bumpy ride when he takes the controls at NATO.
A spokesman for the military alliance said on Monday that De Hoop Scheffer had become NATO Secretary-General designate and would take over from George Robertson in three months.
The Dutchman, who flew military cargo planes in his youth, will need all his powers of persuasion to rebuild transatlantic relations damaged by a row between the United States and France and Germany over the U.S.-led war in Iraq.
The stocky 55-year-old, a career diplomat who has served as foreign minister in two centre-right coalitions, has earned a reputation as a quiet but purposeful bridge-builder eager to restore harmony across the Atlantic.
"He's been very strongly a transatlanticist, but if anyone from the transatlantic camp would be good at building bridges with France, he would," one diplomatic source told Reuters.
De Hoop Scheffer will be the third secretary general of NATO from the Netherlands, a small country with a weighty tradition in the alliance.
He follows in the footsteps of compatriots Dirk Stikker and Joseph Luns, who headed the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation during the Cold War in 1961-64 and 1971-84 respectively.
De Hoop Scheffer also continues a family tradition. His uncle was the Dutch permanent representative at NATO during the Luns era.
A former marathon runner who still likes jogging, De Hoop Scheffer likes to go to his local Catholic church on Sunday and has maintained an interest in flying dating from his military service in the Royal Netherlands Air Force from 1974 to 1976.
"He likes planes. Sometimes he sits in the cockpit. He likes sitting in the cockpit for take-off and landing," a government insider said.
De Hoop Scheffer, who is married to a French teacher and has two daughters, is likely to benefit from warm relations with the White House and his rapport with French and German colleagues thanks to his fluency in both languages.
He was welcomed with open arms in the White House earlier this year for lending Dutch political support to the U.S-led war to oust Saddam Hussein but is equally comfortable reading French daily Le Monde on his regular holidays in France.
On first-name terms with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, he is also reportedly at ease discussing world affairs in French with France's Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin.
The Netherlands walked a tightrope during the Iraq war by choosing a position of political but not military support for the forces that ousted Saddam Hussein.
"(De Hoop Scheffer) has closely followed the American line, in my political view too much so. I think he went too far. He is a very suitable candidate for the Americans," said Dutch Labour opposition foreign affairs spokesman Bert Koenders.
"I think that is a bit counterbalanced by the fact we (the Netherlands) did not support the war in a military sense but only politically. I think he is still acceptable to the Germans, the French and the Belgians."
De Hoop Scheffer, who studied law at Leiden University, embarked on a diplomatic career as a secretary in the Dutch embassy in Ghana after his two years in the airforce.
He gained an early insight into life in NATO's headquarters when he went to Brussels as a member of the permanent Dutch delegation between 1978 and 1980. He then moved on to become private secretary at the Dutch Foreign Ministry until 1986.
His first foray into full-time politics came in 1986 when he entered parliament for the Christian Democrats (CDA) and went on to lead the parliamentary party from 1997 to 2001.
In July 2002, De Hoop Scheffer became foreign minister in the CDA's short-lived coalition with the VVD liberals and the anti-immigration party of murdered populist Pim Fortuyn. He returned to the post in a second CDA-led government with the VVD in May 2003.
Those who know him describe him as witty and a good mimic, and say he is pragmatic rather than dogmatic.
"In the diplomatic career he has had, he's always been very popular and much-liked," said a diplomatic source. "But he has a crisp tongue and is capable of being vigorous when he needs to be."
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=376518§ion=news
By DREW FAGAN
From Tuesday's Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030923.unato0923/BNStory/Front/
As recently as 10 days ago, Deputy Prime Minister John Manley still hoped his candidacy for NATO's top political job might yet win, although the odds of overcoming more than 50 years of transatlantic history were growing even longer.
France, Germany, Italy and Spain had not formally tipped their hands, delaying agreement among the 19 allies over who would become the military alliance's next secretary-general. But, one after another, all but one of the four quietly threw their support behind Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, the Dutch Foreign Minister.
By late last week, only France and Canada were not backing Mr. de Hoop Scheffer; France because it was nervous about the centre-right politician's military perspective, and Canada because it was still behind Mr. Manley.
There was little point in prolonging the inevitable. Paris and Ottawa fell in line on the weekend, maintaining two traditions that have held since the North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949: That the secretary-general is chosen by consensus, and that the post is held by a European.
Yesterday, Mr. Manley made light of his circumstances. Shortly after Mr. de Hoop Scheffer's appointment was made official and Paul Martin met the press in Ottawa for the first time since clinching the Liberal leadership race from which Mr. Manley withdrew last summer, he joked that he was open to job offers. Then he emphasized that he has much to keep him busy in the weeks ahead -- including presenting an economic update to Parliament and meeting U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge next month.
"I think I have to focus on my responsibilities for the time being, which are plentiful and interesting and more than enough to keep me happy," Mr. Manley said from Dubai, after meetings of G7 finance ministers.
A Canadian official yesterday compared the weeks-long process of choosing NATO's new leader to a ritualistic "dance around the fire." Three other European cabinet ministers had withdrawn -- to the degree that their candidacies were ever official -- before the focus fell on Mr. de Hoop Scheffer and Mr. Manley. Even then, there was no formal vote; just a process of judging the sentiment of the 19 member-countries, led by the dean of NATO's diplomatic corps, until sentiment coalesced around Mr. de Hoop Scheffer.
"I must say, and this will sound harsh, that in the end it seemed like a lowest-common-denominator approach," the Canadian official said. "He was acceptable."
Canadian officials had emphasized for some time that Mr. Manley was the dark-horse candidate for the job. His chances depended on European countries failing to reach a consensus among themselves on a person from that continent, which might have induced dissenters and the United States to buck history and back Mr. Manley. But the United States was loath to intervene, given its need to win European support regarding Iraq.
The quiet lobbying on Mr. Manley's behalf has not been a waste of time, nor has Ottawa expended political capital foolishly on his behalf, Canadian officials insisted yesterday. If anything, they expressed some frustration. Another official said the effort was worthwhile because it highlighted the unfairness of the NATO structure, in which traditionally the secretary-general is a European and the supreme allied commander, NATO's top military job, is a U.S. general. "We're frozen out," the official said.
Mr. de Hoop Scheffer, 55, is to replace Britain's Lord Robertson, whose four-year term ends on Jan. 1. The Dutchman showed diplomatic skills earlier this year during the debate over Iraq as his government supported the U.S.-led war but avoided antagonizing European opponents of the military effort to oust Saddam Hussein.
"He has an excellent perception of the different sensibilities on both sides of the Atlantic," Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel said.
Mr. de Hoop Scheffer was a diplomat to the Dutch mission to NATO from 1978 to 1980 and served as personal secretary to four Dutch foreign ministers after his election to parliament in 1986. He became leader of the Christian Democratic party, but stepped down before the 2002 election.
He supports NATO's drive to reinvent itself for the global war against terrorism, ditching its Cold War focus on territorial defence in Europe. In June, he surprised colleagues by suggesting the alliance could take on Middle East peacekeeping if Israel and the Palestinians reach a truce.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20030923.unato0923/BNStory/Front/
http://www.guardian.co.uk/euro/story/0,11306,1042262,00.html
Monday September 15, 2003 The Guardian
The day began with brilliant autumn sunshine, but the murder of Anna Lindh was still casting long shadows over Sweden's historic and closely watched euro referendum yesterday. And in the end, the "Lindh factor" was not nearly enough for the pro- euro camp to carry the day.
Some had hoped that sympathy for the feisty pro-euro campaigner could tip the balance in favour of a yes vote, especially among many undecided women voters thought susceptible to persuasion by the highly articulate foreign minister.
But it appeared that voters had made their mind up before her death, or that those who had not went, in the end, for the status quo.
"I'm voting yes," said a woman called Sofia, selling tickets for a boat trip around Stockholm's 14 islands. "I had already decided, and I don't think many will change their minds because of her death."
Shock and grief over Ms Lindh's murder - with its echoes of the still unsolved killing of the prime minister Olaf Palme in 1986 - show no sign of abating. Outside the NK department store where she was attacked, people queued to sign the condolence book minutes after polling stations opened.
The now wilting roses, sunflowers and lilies piled at NK's front door have become a small mountain, interspersed with notes, in Swedish and many other languages, cuddly toys, and little heaps of dried wax where memorial candles have melted onto the pavement.
"Gandhi, Kennedy, Allende, Martin Luther King, Olof Palme, Anna Lindh: they cannot be replaced," said one neatly handwritten letter. "Democracy cannot allow its leaders to be murdered one by one."
The police investigation into Ms Lindh's death last week has made no clear breakthrough, although police say they have received thousands of tip-offs from the public and are checking the movements of some 10 known criminals.
Although newspapers have already published a CCTV image of a man the police believe may be the killer, his identity remains a mystery.
The image, captured in the NK department store where Ms Lindh was stabbed last Wednesday, shows a tall, acne-scarred man of about 30, with dark shoulder-length hair and wearing a blue baseball cap.
Police say that, just a few minutes before the murder, he was browsing on the floor above the ladies' fashion boutique where Ms Lindh was attacked.
Although his appearance matches the description of the murderer given by witnesses, the police are being cautious, saying that he could simply be a key witness. "We would like to have even more help from the public with identifying this man in the picture," said a police spokesman, Mats Nylen, yesterday.
Police believe that the killer may have been following Ms Lindh for some time, waiting for the right moment to strike. "We are continuing to check known criminals and assailants - a group of about 10 people," said a police spokeswoman. "There are a couple of special names we want to check."
The police are combing the country's hostels and homeless shelters for what they describe as "the usual suspects."
Since the CCTV image was published on Saturday, thousands of people have called with tip-offs.
"We have not identified the man in the pictures, but we think we will find him. New tips keep on coming in all the time," the spokeswoman said.
Although the police have recovered the red-handled craftsman's knife used in the attack, as well as the killer's cap and bloodied jacket, all three exhibits have failed to yield a fingerprint.
Forensic scientists are hoping, however, that they may be able to extract DNA sam ples from remnants of skin left behind on the knife handle.
The knife may be sent to Britain for analysis by the forensic science service, which has superior equipment to the crime labs in Sweden, reports said last night.
Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmo were at the heart of the pro- euro campaign. The no camp is concentrated in the sparsely populated countryside and north. Anti-euro sentiment was especially strong on the border with the euroland member Finland, where opponents highlight the price rises when euro notes and coins were introduced in 2002.
The yes camp - composed of the mainstream political parties, big business and the media - had argued that Sweden needed the growth, jobs and increased trade that only the eurozone could provide.
"It is a very difficult decision, but if we are part of the EU we really should be in it wholeheartedly," said a yes voter, Eva Jarlsdotter, a pharmaceutical company employee, wheeling her month-old daughter along a cobbled alley. "We can't keep up this 'wait and see' attitude and let the others take all the risk."
The anti-euro Greens and the Left party warned that the country's fabled but declining welfare system would be harmed if control over interest rates was surrendered to the European Central Bank in Frankfurt, which they reject as opaque and undemocratic.
"It is the people who have said that democracy comes from below and not from above," declared the Left Party leader Ulla Hoffmann as she savoured victory. "I think this will be an important signal to Europe that the EU must democratise."
Still, there were few in the no camp who were prepared to celebrate victory overtly last night.
As one pro-euro MP put it: "Election day is usually a party day. It feels terrible that a murder has been able to change that."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/euro/story/0,11306,1042262,00.html
There seems to be some CONFUSION about the assassination of Anna Lindh. The media (and a surprising number of "Web.news" "grassroots" sources want to push this into a certain anti-euro category.
Think:
QUESTION 1: How many people have been assassinated because of their view on the euro? ANSWER: None. QUESTION 2: What organizations are well known for their tactics of assassination? ANSWER: The United States and Israel. (Yes, yes... Pinochet et al. - dissappeared thousands... but who was the instigator? ... the US. + THINK: Yes, Palestinians have blown up a lot of people... but they have never been known to TARGET a victim based on their ideology. Keep right on thinking.
So taking the basics into account, the following s at least curious
Walt
______________
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/opinion/20_09_03_d.asp
Bouthaina Shaaban is minister of emigrant affairs in the new Syrian government.She wrote this commentary for THE DAILY STAR, 20 Sept. 2003
[...]
With the assassination of Anna Lindh, the Palestinian cause and the Arabs in general have lost one of the most important voices supporting their legitimate and just demands. A few years ago she was even imprisoned for two days during a visit to the Occupied Territories upon orders from then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon. She saw in Israel’s use of force against the Palestinians, and in America’s tacit approval of this, a consecration of the law of the jungle and a subversion of the role of the UN and of international humanitarian law. Lindh might have been the only European foreign minister who called upon the European Union, on April 3, 2002, to sever ties with Israel in protest against Israeli practices.
She called on US President George W. Bush to deny Sharon unconditional support, as this would inflame the Middle East. Last Jan. 29 she emphasized that Sharon’s policies displayed no desire for peace. Lindh many times stressed that the only solution in the Middle East rested in ending the Israeli occupation; otherwise everybody would become a hostage to the conflict.
Lindh also played an important role in shaping the EU’s decision to adopt a policy toward Palestinian President Yasser Arafat different from that of the US. In January 2002, EU foreign ministers confirmed the importance of Arafat as a partner in the peace process, rejected Washington’s claims that he supported terrorism and called the Bush administration’s depiction of Arafat as a terrorist “foolish.” [...]
In regards to weapons of mass destruction, Lindh called for the
creation of a Middle East free of such weapons, including Israel. [...]
At an EU foreign ministers’ meeting in Italy two days before Lindh was murdered, she blamed the US and Israel for the resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Lindh said: “Abbas was given the kiss of death when the US and Israel decided to deal only with him and not with … Arafat.” She noted Israel’s expansion of settlements, building a wall around Palestinian areas and assassination of Hamas leaders were undermining the peace process.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/opinion/20_09_03_d.asp
Sir Evelyn de Rothschild knows, too, that he leaves his branch of the business, NM Rothschild, in a state that will allow him one day to look his ancestors in the face with confidence.
This has not stopped Sir Evelyn moving in the highest international circles. He has, for example, attended meetings of the Bilderberg Group, a secretive group of leading business and political figures that has fueled numerous conspiracy theories.
Sir Evelyn's academic qualifications are fewer than they appear in Who's Who. There, under education, he lists Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge, even though he never graduated from the university. He says he can't remember why. "I just didn't."
The significance of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild's decision to give up control of the family bank is not lost on someone as dynastically aware as him.
Aged 71, he is rightly proud of being able to hand over the business in an orderly way to another family member, Baron David, 60.
And he knows that the capital reorganisation that accompanies the handover marks the most significant step in the reunification of the disparate Rothschild interests in two centuries.
Sir Evelyn knows, too, that he leaves his branch of the business, NM Rothschild, in a state that will allow him one day to look his ancestors in the face with confidence.
That there is anything at all to hand over is down to him. It was his determination to keep the bank in family hands that led him to oppose a plan from his cousin, Jacob, to merge the bank with Warburgs in the mid-1970s.
In recent years, the bank has vindicated that decision by consistently ranking in or close to the top five in league tables for European M&A. Nobody should expect Baron David to change the policy on family control.
However, for many of Sir Evelyn's own staff, the change in leadership is not coming a moment too soon.
His irascible tendency and sometimes overbearing manner have bred little affection for him among his bankers, some of whom have nicknamed him Lord . . . of Viagra - in part a reference to the new vigour he has found since last year marrying Lynn Forester, the glamorous American entrepreneur who is 23 years his junior.
The time she needs to spend in the US is believed to be one of the reasons Sir Evelyn is now willing to give up control of the bank.
For all its recent success, NM Rothschild remains small compared with the big Wall Street houses that dominate the market.
But this has not stopped Sir Evelyn moving in the highest international circles. He has, for example, attended meetings of the Bilderberg Group, a secretive group of leading business and political figures that has fueled numerous conspiracy theories.
Yet, despite his surname, his most secure claim on being a giant of the City of London derives more from his impressive frame than from any reputation for moulding modern finance.
Indeed, his cautious temperament has been blamed for the bank's failure to exploit fully the power of its brand name in the private banking market until last year - by which time the prospects for that industry had darkened considerably.
Sir Evelyn's academic qualifications are fewer than they appear in Who's Who. There, under education, he lists Harrow and Trinity College, Cambridge, even though he never graduated from the university. He says he can't remember why. "I just didn't."
For all the clarity of the changes announced yesterday, Sir Evelyn seems reluctant to step aside completely. "I'm not giving up; I'm not retiring or anything," he insists. "Things happen in this world where people are called back."
With Baron David in charge, such circumstances are unlikely. Immensely well-regarded by his peers, the only criticism ever made of him is that he is sometimes too consensual and afraid of confrontation.
However, it is precisely this that has allowed him to coax his distant cousin along to the point at which he is prepared to cede control. And that, many insiders believe, is to the bank's long- term benefit.
The Sunday Times - Business
August 03, 2003
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-764824,00.html
John O’Donnell
THE world’s greatest networking opportunity is about to arise - but the job won’t appear in any newspaper advertisements. Bilderberg, the secretive forum for the western elite and holy grail of conspiracy theorists, needs a new leader.
Martin Taylor, chairman of WH Smith and the group’s secretary-general, has said he wants to step down, and the process of finding a successor will begin soon.
The group, whose annual meetings gather luminaries such as David Rockefeller and Richard Perle, will find a replacement from its 30-strong steering committee, whose members include Lord Black, owner of The Telegraph newspapers, Kenneth Clarke, the Tory MP, and Henry Kissinger.
Taylor, who last month said he intended to quit WH Smith on health grounds, said he did not expect to leave Bilderberg soon. “It is time for me to get out, but the difficulty is finding someone who is capable and has time to do it,” he said. “The people who want to do the job are the ones you don’t want. My expectation is that I will find a successor in the next two to three years.”
Taylor, who also works as an adviser at Goldman Sachs, did his best to dispel the conspiracy theory that the group is a sinister elite of shape-changing lizards.
He preferred to compare his job with that of chairman of a board of school governors. “I am an amateur conference organiser. It is like being chairman of the golf club.”
Taylor said he had done his best to raise the openness of the group, which keeps the minutes of its meetings secret for 50 years.
Bilderberg held its last four-day forum in the grounds of Versailles Palace at the Trianon Palace Hotel.
The ideal candidate for the post will be as much a diplomat as a good party host and will need a thick skin to cope with the “crazies” that stalk members. “Our existence gives them a reason to live,” said Taylor.
But, most important of all, the successful applicant will be an insider. “This is a club,” he said. “And it needs to be someone who knows the organisation extremely well.”
But anyone who hopes to take the job in order to have stories to tell their grandchildren will be disappointed - Taylor is sworn to secrecy on his favourite memories.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2095-764824,00.html
COPY OF THE REPORT OF 2002 BILDERBERG MEETING: DOCUMENT: A (2002) 886559 of 26/08/2002recorded 30/08/2002
Sender: BANCK M./ NL/BILDERBERG MEETINGS
Receiver: PRODI ROMANO/ PRODI
Object: COPY OF REPORT OF THIS YEAR'S BILDERBERG MEETING
This document is in the incoming mail of Romano Prodi, president of the European Commission and member of the Bilderberg's Steering Committee untill 1982.
It's a copy of the report of 2002 Bilderberg Meeting, sent by Maja Banck, Executive Secretary of the Bilderberg Group.
You can find it at http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/commissioners/prodi/regcp/recherche.cfm?CL=en searching the key-word "bilderberg" among the "subjects".
[Due to technical maintenance, the page will be inaccessible from Friday 25 July 2003 18.00 (CET) until Sunday 27 July 2003 24.00 (CET)] ###Let's hope they won't delete that document!!!###
Every european citizen can requests it but, to obtain it, the authorization of both the European Commission and the sender (Maja Banck) are needed.
I tried to request it but they wrote me back that the sender didn't authorize the access to the document.
It could be very important to obtain and publish it, because it would be one the few "official" reports of a recent meeting of this group, achieved from a sure reliable sorce: directly from Bilderbergers themselves...!
When someone receive the first denial, can send a second request, and when the second request is rejected too, can file a petition.
I'm sure that they won't ever send me that document if I'm the only one who requested it.
But if they would receive A LOT OF REQUESTS from the whole Europe, they couldn't overlook that many people wants to know...!!!
And something may happen...
To send the first request you can write to Angela Weaver (Registry of President Prodi Correspondence) at presidentsregister@cec.eu.int specifying your name and address and all the data of the document you're requesting (you can *copy&paste* at the beginning of this text).
For the second request and the petition you'll receive instrunctions in the mail they'll send you.
--------------------------------------------------------
"Negative answers are not empty failures: they bump off wrong perspetives and add new elements."
Massimo Pierini
Breaking all the rules - July 27, 2003
http://batr.org/gulag/072703.html
Their war puts America in permanent peril
Did you hear that Donald Rumsfeld and Richard Perle attended the last Bilderberg meeting near Versailles? Even if you are a skeptic of the dominance of these elites, one can hardly dismiss their influence. So when there is a rare dispute among their ranks, it would be news. However, reports in the mainstream press about the latest plans of this shrouded collaboration is the only secret that is kept in the rush to scoop the continuous news cycle.
So what is all the fuss about? “Europe's elite were opposed to an American invasion of Iraq since the 2002 Bilderberg meeting in Chantilly, Virginia. Rumsfeld himself had promised them it wouldn't happen. Last week, everybody struck back at Rumsfeld, asking about the infamous "weapons of mass destruction". Most of Europe's elite do not believe American promises that Iraq's oil will "benefit the Iraqi people". They know that revenues from Iraqi oil will be used to rebuild what America has bombed. And the debate is still raging on what kind of contracts which rewarded Bechtel and Halliburton will "benefit" Western Europe.”
As illustrated in the The Petro-Dollar and the EURO essay, the precarious stability of the U.S. Dollar as the currency for oil settlement, has most profound effects. Stan Goff in a perceptive analysis - THE INFINITE WAR AND ITS ROOTS - makes the following point: “Should forces hostile to U.S. imperialism (for whatever reason) gain control over the Gulf States and its oil, they would effectively control the lifeblood of the entire global economic system. U.S. hegemony would collapse in an historical instant. Compared to this scenario, Sept. 11 was a walk in the park. And the U.S. ruling class, especially the current petroligarchy administration, knows this.”
The distinct deduction from a plunging dollar denominated world dominant economy is a state of continuous war. While the Iraqi colonization is the first stage of a Rumsfeld/ Perle strategy, the European elements of the Bilderberg brotherhood see their interests in very different terms. So much so, that some support proposals for an independent European Union military force.
“It was also extremely hard at the Versailles meeting to forge a consensus on the necessity of a European Union army totally independent of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The US establishment, of course, is against the EU army. But so are some Europeans, starting with anti-army cheerleader Lord Robertson, NATO's secretary general. Europe's elite can't stand US domination of NATO any more. Some Europeans suggest a separate force, but controlled by NATO. Americans argue that a separate EU force would dissolve NATO's role as the UN's world army. And Americans insist that NATO is no longer confined to the defense of Europe: its troops now could go anywhere in the world, directed or not by the UN Security Council. The impasse remains.”
This internal conflict is one of the few examples of friction among the clandestine masters of the universe. The source of this strife, largely stems from those elements who maintain an allegiance to a kosher tribal cause and seek to advance their parochial interest, whenever possibile.
Again, Mr Goff nails it: “It is no wonder the capitalists of other regions are raising their eyebrows at the Bush Administration. They surely sense the potential consequences of this administration's wild hubris, its military adventurism, its arrogant abrogation of international treaties, its refusal to submit to international law, and its continued support for the Israeli occupation. Some of these capitalists understand that what is taking shape is the military occupation of the world's major oil fields, in the face of fierce resistance from the masses in those states, and they further understand that this is the best way to ensure permanent loss of access to this critical commodity for good.”
When opposing agendas threaten the entire ruling order, even a rogue - dominated by NeoCon subversives - American administration, will be made to pay a price. Make no mistake about it, the Bush junta is an integral part of the shadow global cabal. The apparant discord may be a temporary blip for a “Temporary” skull and bones flunky. Any inference that George W might be an American hero for bucking the New World Order would be ludicrous. Internal squabbles have a tendency to be short. However, when a beleaguered emperor has a ring in his nose, and is guided by sinister renegades, the king may fall. Bush, the cowboy Texan, would do well to heed the lesson of Dallas! Judas clones sit at your table . . . allowing them to made policy is MAD, and will assure our mutal destruction. Bilderberg’s are watching, you have been warned.
SARTRE - July 27, 2003
http://batr.org/gulag/072703.html
Blair and Straw have become far too close to these people and Lord Levy, who is an unaccountable ambassador in the Middle East, is part of this group. They are acting on an extremely Zionist, Likud-nik agenda. In particular I am concerned that some of them are pushing for an attack on Syria, for reasons of Israeli security.
UK MP - Tam Dalyell
Rothschilds keep
it in the family
SO-BRITISH FIGURE:
But well-connected Sir Evelyn has been a power on the international stage.
13 July 2003
The Express on Sunday
THE name Rothschild has been synonymous with banking for two centuries. But for the first time since the Napoleonic wars split them at the end of the 18th century, the English and French branches of the powerful dynasty are to merge their merchant banks.
The catalyst is the stepping down of Sir Evelyn de Rothschild, the 71-year-old Englishman who has run UK bank NM Rothschild and all other business outside France for more than 20 years.
His French cousin Baron David de Rothschild, 60, the new executive chairman, will merge the French bank's assets into a new entity called Concordia that will be domiciled in the Netherlands and owned equally by the French and English Rothschilds.
The move is part of a drive to make the bank a more transparent and competitive international outfit, while keeping it a family-owned, business, unlike rivals Schroders and SG Warburg that have sold out to bigger rivals Salomon Brothers and UBS.
It was Evelyn's determination to keep the bank in family hands that led him to oppose a plan from another cousin, Jacob, to merge the bank with Warburgs in the Seventies. David is already senior partner of the French bank.
"We firmly believe these measures to consolidate the various Rothschild shareholder and business interests will create a stronger, more unified group, " said David.
Evelyn, although he will remain chairman of NM Rothschild, will stand down from the board of its parent company, Rothschild Continuation. It will be a less prominent role for one of the great socialities of UK banking.
Three years ago, he married New York hostess Lynn Forester, who recently threw a party for Hillary Clinton. A desire to divide his time between the UK and the US is believed to be one of the reasons he is now willing to yield control of the bank. It was during last year's Golden Jubilee that Evelyn hit the headlines, giving the Queen 140 cases of his finest wine.
He is also a great art collector, owning 300 masterpieces.
In international circles, he attends meetings of the secretive Bilderberg Group of leading business and political figures.
His manner can be overbearing, leading many to suggest the change in leadership has not come a moment too soon.
But David was not first choice to succeed him. David's English cousin, Amschel Rothschild, had been groomed to take over as head of the English arm of the banking dynasty but committed suicide in 1996.
David's rise follows the emergence of his division as one of the leading dealmakers in France, despite being dwarfed by US rivals.
In recent years, it has consistently ranked in, or close to, the top five in league tables for European mergers and acquisitions.
INVESTMENT banking has been increasingly important for the firm, which was founded by Mayer Amschel in the 1770s. Separate ownership arose 20 years later when the Frankfurt-based founder told his five sons to set up separate businesses in London, Paris, Naples, Vienna and Frankfurt.
At the Battle of Waterloo, the Duke of Wellington's victory over Napoleon was funded by the English branch, one of many historical events that have decided the fortunes of the family business.
More recently, the bank was boosted by the close friendship of Baroness Thatcher and Sir Michael Richardson, its head of corporate finance, who died recently.
Richardson presided over much advisory work on the privatisations, stimulated by the Thatcher philosophy for business.
The process of appointing David as Evelyn's successor has its roots in 1992, when he was named deputy chairman of the London operations.
He had succeeded in re-establishing the family name in France after its Socialist government nationalised Rothschild bank in 1981. He founded a new bank and in 1986 persuaded the government to allow him to use the Rothschild name again. In 1996, David was appointed to a committee to oversee the Rothschild investment banking operations worldwide, and was put in charge of global integration.
David, who formally takes control tomorrow, will run the business from Paris but is expected to spend far more time in London than previously.
His appointment is thought likely to lead to some changes as the bank seeks to expand its business.
"David is younger, successful and dynamic and he is the best guy to run it, " said Keith Baird, an analyst at Prudential-Bache.
Although highly regarded, David is considered cautious. Evelyn has wanted Rothschild to develop in the Far East, Latin America and Germany but it is questionable whether David can deliver that kind of growth.
Where the company can continue to flourish, along with fellow-survivor Lazard, is by picking up business made available by the conflicts of interest that have arisen among giant competitors.
"Such developments in investment banks around the world have made customers want to go somewhere else, " Evelyn has said.
Rothschild has advised Dutch retailer Ahold on restructuring plans and French aluminium producer Pechiney on the hostile bid it faces from Canada's Alcan.
The bank is also advising Caledonia Investments on restructuring plans put forward by rebel shareholders, and was involved in the merger of electricity enterprises Lattice and National Grid last year. "It has a distinct strategy of offering network, contacts and experience, " says Philip Middleton, a banking consultant with consultants Ernst & Young.
"The big risk to it would be if it tried to compete with the big boys on price and placing power."
Michael Vestey
12 July 2003
Spectator Volume 292; Issue 9127; ISSN: 00386952
For conspiracy theorists there is something for everyone in the Bilderberg Group, an annual meeting of world leaders, bankers, businessmen and so-called opinion formers. Those on the Left can be suspicious of an elite gathering in secret to shape the world; those, like me, opposed to the EU superstate, can see something sinister in the European political class discussing further integration behind closed doors. The founders of what became the EU were, in fact, present at the early meetings, and Kenneth Clarke and current EU commissioners regularly attend; Clarke is a member of its steering committee.
Simon Cox attempted to get to grips with this slippery organisation in Club Class on Radio Four last week (Thursday). The nearest he got was an unattributable briefing from an anonymous person who attended this year's conference in Versailles and an interview with its secretary-general, Martin Taylor, who is also chairman of W.H. Smith. One can understand that being part of the Bilderberg freemasonry must be more exciting than selling paper clips and Basildon Bond. He explained that Chatham House rules are observed in that no one present is allowed to reveal what has been said. If a person breaks that rule he's not invited back. Cox's anonymous source said that this year one of the issues was the conflict between the French and the Americans over Iraq. The French foreign minister Dominique de Villepin is said to have remarked that, if the Americans hadn't insisted the war was about weapons of mass destruction and had merely admitted it was about regime change, the French would have supported Washington. The source added that Kenneth Clarke and Henry Kissinger tended to lead and dominate many of the meetings and he was surprised at how frank the discussions were. One advantage of secrecy, I suppose.
Examining the papers of the former leader of the Labour party, Hugh Gaitskell, Cox came across one from the very first conference at the Bilderberg hotel in Holland in 1954. The conference agreed that, although some sort of European union had long been a utopian dream, it should now be seen as a necessity. The Americans, rather foolishly as it's turned out, supported the idea. Today, journalists invited enjoy rubbing shoulders with the political and economic elites, even if they can't write about it. Martin Wolf of the Financial Times had to seek permission from Bilderberg to speak to Cox and only on condition that he didn't repeat anything that had been said at the conference. Interesting though this programme was, I find it impossible to decide if Bilderberg is a good or bad thing. One is just left with a vague sense of unease.
G - What have you been talking about inside the Bilderberg meeting?
R - Exchanges about the state of the world.
F - I think you'd probably get more information by just asking each individual participant what their own views are.
G - I think with a press conference it would be seen to be more open.
F - Although there are lots of people in the press who are are actually attending.
G - I know but - it's funny - because only the independent press will cover it. How come The Times of London never covers it?
R - There's nothing secret about it. It is a private meeting. There's a difference between private and secret.
F - It's non-governmental organisations.
G - But there are a lot of government people there too. And there's things like third world debt, which is a serioous problem for millions of people in the world, and it's not even on the agenda
R - It wouldn't be appropriate. We pick subjects that the group is interested in discussing.
G - With the power that a lot of you people have also comes responsibility - to be in some way accountable particulary the government people who are here now.
R - We do things in various settings, congress etc.
I then asked about the quality of the food being served inside the Bilderberg meeting and James Ford recommended Le Mare resturant in Versailles and paid his compliments to London chef Marco Pierre White, head chef for the Criterion Brasserie on Piccadilly and L'Escargot on Greek Street.
10Jun03 - leaked document from the French ministry of the
interior
click the image for the big version ->
http://www.faits-et-documents.com
Tony,
Find enclosed a secret document of the french police about Bilderberg group.
It comes from the service which is in charge of the protection of VIP's. They are furious because the Bilderberg didn't inform them of the summit in Versailles. Nevertheless, they have decided to protect VIP's during their rides in Paris or from the airports.
It's a very interesting document because it signifies that all the protection was made by private societies of mercenaries... It's not usual in France. If you want, you can put as source of the data, my name and my address.
It's aslo funny to read at the end of the letter the words "conférence"privée". For the French administration, the "" signifies that they know exactly what it is, and not private (it's a sort of joke for the officials which are not happy about that).
No French newspaper, at the exception of my small paper, Faits & Documents, has written a single line about this summit.
Thanks a lot
Emmanuel Ratier
Faits & Documents
BP 254-09
75424 Paris cedex 09
eratier@faits-et-documents.com
http://www.faits-et-documents.com
http://www.perssupport.anp.nl/cgi-bin/perssupport/poc_anp.cgi?2002105113_LKG .4V.SPX.out19
PRESS RELEASE
Renkum, 13 mei 2002 - Today many phone calls came in at headquarters of Bilderberg Hotels & Restaurants from worried guests and suppliers. The reason for this is an article in Algemeen Dagblad last Saturday, in which involvement from the Bilderberggroep (amongst others) is suggested in the murder on political leader pim fortuyn.
The article refers to the Bilderberg conference, an international organization which meets annually, and which is named after Hotel de Bilderberg, where the first meeting was held in the 50's.
Bilderberg Hotels & Restaurants has therefore nothing to do with the organization mentioned above, and calls on news media editors to maintain the utmost carefulness in their publications.
For more information: Bilderberg Hotels & Restaurants, Mr. J. Serbrock, tel.0317-318.319.
ANP Press support, the ANP is not responsible for the content of the above message.
13 mei 02 13:27
http://www.perssupport.anp.nl/cgi-bin/perssupport/poc_anp.cgi?2002105113_LKG .4V.SPX.out19
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/opinion/24_05_03_d.asp
The Daily Star, Lebanon, 26May03
After Napoleon executed his royalist rival, the Duc d’Enghien, in 1804, a French chronicler famously remarked: “It is worse than a crime; it is a mistake.
That bon mot sums up what’s at issue in the debate over French policy toward the United States. Is recent French anti-Americanism simply a mistake a product of the grandeur and romanticism of President Jacques Chirac and Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin in their stand against the US-led invasion of Iraq? Or is it something more serious the culmination of a long-running Gaullist challenge to US power and leadership?
There is growing evidence to support the latter view that we are witnessing a deep Franco-American fissure and the start of a chilly new era in relations between the two countries. To rephrase the famous epigram: It is worse than a mistake; it is a policy.
The French and the Americans succeeded Thursday in patching things over enough to avoid what would have been a messy discussion at the G-8 summit that will begin June 2 in Evian, France. The UN Security Council voted 14-0 to approve a resolution that will end sanctions for Iraq and phase out the oil-for-food program (as the US wanted) and provide some form of oversight by a UN Special Representative for Iraq (as the French wanted).
But the new resolution is partly a fig leaf, critics argue; it avoids some of the messy issues about Iraqi reconstruction for the sake of a compromise that was backed by France’s key allies, Germany and Russia.
The French want to preserve a role for the UN, even a symbolic one, since their only claim to global power is their status as a permanent member of the Security Council. And the Americans need this appearance of international harmony as much as the French do. Things haven’t been going awfully well in Baghdad, and the Americans could use some international cover.
US and French officials say privately, however, that this veneer of pragmatism masks fundamental differences. To state it bluntly, Chirac’s France rejects the interventionist global role claimed by George W. Bush’s America. And Bush’s America finds France a pompous nuisance, a country whose military power doesn’t match its ambitions and whose views, in the end, don’t matter.
The G-8 summit at Evian is likely to illustrate this divide, whatever the spin doctors say. Chirac is organizing the meeting as a not-so-subtle celebration of French leadership on such soft-power issues as the need to provide drugs for AIDS victims in poor countries. In a touch of this symbolism, the French president is inviting the heads of 25 smaller countries to join the Big Eight for a photo opportunity.
To American eyes, the Evian summit is being framed as an implicit rejection of American hard-power leadership. “Chirac will use the G-8 as a personal platform to grandstand and cater to the Third World,’’ predicts one US official.
American anger at France was reignited last weekend by remarks that de Villepin made at Versailles to a foreign policy gabfest known as the Bilderberg meeting. Though the gathering was supposedly off the record, European and American sources have volunteered accounts of comments that infuriated Americans there.
It was only because Chirac and Pope John Paul II opposed the American war in Iraq that the world was able to avoid a Christian-Muslim “clash of civilizations,’’ de Villepin reportedly said in response to a question. At another point, he implied that if America had just made clear from the outset that its goal in Iraq was “regime change,” then the French might have been willing to go along.
Pique over the aristocratic style of the French foreign minister or the vanity of the French president misses the point. Chirac is following a traditional dictum of French foreign policy, namely: How do you maintain and enhance France’s power in a world dominated by America?
The US response to Chirac’s manipulations, alas, seems overwrought and ultimately unworthy of a superpower. For the White House to disclose that Air Force One is serving “freedom toast’’ is at least as childish as anything the French have done. And French Ambassador Jean-David Levitte was right to demand last week that Washington stop winking at fabrications about French policy on Iraq.
Still, Chirac’s riposte to America will almost certainly fail. Paris lacks the military might to translate its ambitions into reality. And while Germany and Russia may share French wariness of the Bush administration, they are unlikely to underwrite Chirac’s continuing defiance of Washington.
The French version of optimism these days is that things will get better once Bush is gone from the White House. But in this, as in too many other foreign-policy judgments, the French appear to be making a costly mistake.
David Ignatius, Paris-based syndicated columnist, is former executive editor of the International Herald Tribune
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/opinion/24_05_03_d.asp
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html
It may be instructive to learn what US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and the "Prince of Darkness" Richard Perle were doing last weekend. From May 15 to 18 they were guests at the Trianon Palace Hotel, close to the spectacular Versailles palace near Paris, for the annual meeting of the Bilderberg club.
Depending on the ideological prism applied, the Bilderberg club may be considered an ultra-VIP international lobby of the power elite of Europe and America, capable of steering international policy from behind closed doors; a harmless "discussion group" of politicians, academics and business tycoons; or a capitalist secret society operating entirely through self interest and plotting world domination.
The Bilderberg club is regarded by many financial and business elites as the high chamber of the high priests of capitalism. You can't apply for membership of such a club. Each year, a mysterious "steering committee" devises a selected invitation list with a maximum 100 names. The location of their annual meeting is not exactly secret: they even have a headquarters in Leiden, in the Netherlands. But the meetings are shrouded in the utmost secrecy. Participants and guests rarely reveal that they are attending. Their security is managed by military intelligence. But what is the secretive group really up to? Well, they talk. They lobby. They try to magnify their already immense political clout, on both sides of the Atlantic. And everybody pledges absolute secrecy on what has been discussed.
The Bilderberg mingles central bankers, defense experts, press barons, government ministers, prime ministers, royalty, international financiers and political leaders from Europe and America. Guests this year, along with Rumsfeld and Perle (US Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz is also a member) included banker David Rockefeller, as well as various members of the Rockefeller family, Henry Kissinger, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands, Queen Sofia and King Juan Carlos of Spain, and high officials of assorted governments. The Bilderberg does not invite - or accept - Asians, Middle Easterners, Latin Americans or Africans.
Some of the Western world's leading financiers and foreign policy strategists attend Bilderberg, in their view, to polish and reinforce a virtual consensus, an illusion that globalization, defined under their terms - what's good for banking and big business is good for everybody else - is inevitable and for the greater good of mankind. If they have a hidden agenda, it is the fact that their fabulous concentration of wealth and power is completely dissociated from the explanation to their guests of how globalization benefits 6.2 billion people. Some of the club's earlier guests went on to become crucial players. Bill Clinton in 1991 and Tony Blair in 1993 were invited and duly "approved" by the Bilderberg before they took office.
There are innumerable shady, still unexplained connections between the early Bilderberg club and the Nazis, via Prince Bernhard of the Netherlands, the father of Queen Beatrix, who founded the club in Bilderberg in 1954 (the name is taken from a Dutch hotel), aiming to "increase understanding between Europe and North America". Bernhard was a member of Adolf Hitler's SS. One of the founding members of the Bilderberg is Otto Wolff von Amerongen - who actively improved business links between Germany and the Soviet bloc and served on 26 boards of directors, including Deutsche Bank. Few people know him - and perhaps for some good reason: he has been linked to the Nazi's theft of Jewish holdings before and during World War II.
Rumsfeld is an active Bilderberger. So is General Peter Sutherland from Ireland, a former European Union commissioner and chairman of Goldman Sachs and BP. Rumsfeld and Sutherland served together in 2000 on the board of Swiss energy company ABB. And ABB happened to have sold two light-water nuclear reactors to North Korea. At the time, of course, North Korea was not an active member of the "axis of evil".
This year, the Bilderberg meeting in Versailles conveniently merged into the G8 meeting of finance ministers in Paris, a 20-minute car ride from Versailles, on May 19. The procedure is traditional: what happens in the Bilderberg is usually a preview of what is later discussed at the full G8 gathering, which this year will be held from June 1 to 3 at Evian-les-Bains in the French Alps.
On Bilderberg's first full working day on May 15, French President Jacques Chirac delivered a welcoming speech, trying to bury the bitter divisions among the guests over the war on Iraq by emphasizing that the US and Western Europe are longtime allies. But Chirac's gracious hosting may not have been enough to soothe the hawks in the US administration still miffed at "pacifist" France.
An influential Jewish European banker reveals that the ruling elite in Europe is now telling their minions that the West is on the brink of total financial meltdown; so the only way to save their precious investments is to bet on the new global crisis centered around the Middle East, which replaced the crisis evolving around the Cold War.
According to a banking source in the City of London connected to Versailles, what has transpired from the 2003 meeting is that American and European Bilderbergers have not exactly managed to control their split over the American invasion and occupation of Iraq, as well as over Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's hardline policy against the Palestinians. As the Bilderbergers were chattering away, Sharon all but rejected Bush's Middle East road map, already endorsed by the other members of the so-called quartet: the United Nations, the European Union and Russia. This road map, as it stands, is over: even the presence of US Secretary of State Colin Powell - who stopped by Versailles to brief the Bilderbergers - was not enough to persuade Sharon to even discuss the dismantling of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.
American imperial adventures are usually rehearsed at Bilderberg meetings. Europe's elite were opposed to an American invasion of Iraq since the 2002 Bilderberg meeting in Chantilly, Virginia. Rumsfeld himself had promised them it wouldn't happen. Last week, everybody struck back at Rumsfeld, asking about the infamous "weapons of mass destruction". Most of Europe's elite do not believe American promises that Iraq's oil will "benefit the Iraqi people". They know that revenues from Iraqi oil will be used to rebuild what America has bombed. And the debate is still raging on what kind of contracts which rewarded Bechtel and Halliburton will "benefit" Western Europe.
Europe's elite, according to those close to Bilderberg, are suspicious that the US does not need or even want a stable, legitimate central government in Iraq. When that happens, there will be no reason for the US to remain in the country. Europe's elite see the US establishing "facts on the ground": establishing a long-term military presence and getting the oil flowing again under American control. This could go on for years, as long as the Americans can guarantee enough essential services to prevent the Iraqi people from engaging in a war of national liberation.
It was also extremely hard at the Versailles meeting to forge a consensus on the necessity of a European Union army totally independent of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The US establishment, of course, is against the EU army. But so are some Europeans, starting with anti-army cheerleader Lord Robertson, NATO's secretary general. Europe's elite can't stand US domination of NATO any more. Some Europeans suggest a separate force, but controlled by NATO. Americans argue that a separate EU force would dissolve NATO's role as the UN's world army. And Americans insist that NATO is no longer confined to the defense of Europe: its troops now could go anywhere in the world, directed or not by the UN Security Council. The impasse remains.
All these crucial developments were discussed behind closed doors. The Trianon Palace Hotel in Versailles was closed to the public and all non-Bilderberg guests had to check out. Part-time employees were sent home. The ones who remained were told that they would be fired if caught revealing anything about the meeting. They couldn't speak to any Bilderberger unless spoken to. They couldn't look anybody in the eye. Armed guards completely isolated and cordoned off the hotel. Some members of the American corporate press were there - but the public will never know about it: Bilderberg news is not fit to print - or broadcast. No journalists from any media controlled by Bilderberg multinational tycoons such as Rupert Murdoch were or will be allowed to report it. Even if they somehow managed to crash the party. There's no business like (private) elite business.
http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/EE22Ak03.html
Commissioners Mario Monti, Erikki Liikanen, Pedro Solbes Mira, Gunther Verheugen, Antonio Vitorino and Frits Bolkestein have in the past attended Bilderberg meetings and are thus de facto members, since they are kept appraised of its activities. Commission President Romano Prodi was a Steering Committee Member of Bilderberg in the 80s, at the time when ECB President Wim Duisenberg was Treasurer. Three Commissioners are or have been members of the Trilateral Commission, Mario Monti, Chris Patten and Pedro Solbes Mira.
Will the Commission say which Commissioners will be attending the forthcoming Bilderberg and Trilateral meetings, whether they will be attending on behalf of the Commission or in an apparent private capacity, and whether they will be granted daily allowances or other expenses in connection with those meetings. Will the Commission ensure that these memberships are mentioned in the Commissioners' individual declarations of interest.
P-1370/03EN
(15 May 2003)
Several Members of the Commission have been invited to and have participated in meetings of the Bilderberg group during their term of office, while others have been invited and have participated before becoming Members of the Commission and have not then participated during their term of office. It should be pointed out that in the group's rules there is no such category as "member of the group". The only category that exists is "member of the Steering Committee".
No Member of the Commission is a member of the Steering Committee. Personalities who do not belong to the Steering Committee of the Bilderberg group may be invited to the meetings.
Occasional participation at a meeting does not need to be mentioned in the declaration of interests provided for by the Code of Conduct for Commissioners, since the act of participating occasionally at one or another conference, or of receiving information on the activities of a group, does not necessarily mean that the person concerned is a member of or belongs to a group.
As regards participation at the next meeting of the Bilderberg group, which is due to take place from 16 to 18 May 2003 in Versailles, three Commissioners have accepted the invitation that has been extended to them on account of their functions, although they will not be participating on behalf of the Commission. The three in question are Mr Monti, Mr Bolkenstein and Mr Lamy. Their trip will be governed by the rules generally applicable in this matter.
As regards the Trilateral Commission, its rules preclude the participation of any member who holds public office. No Commissioner is therefore a member of the Trilateral, and no Commissioner has as yet voiced any intention of participating in a future meeting of the Trilateral Commission.
By MARTIN WOLF
The US is no longer a status quo power. Attendance at this year's Bilderberg meeting, in Versailles, made clear how big a challenge this poses to the health of the transatlantic alliance. I went to the meeting convinced that divorce between the US and Europe had become possible. I left thinking that it could easily become unstoppable.
Clyde Prestowitz, a former member of the Reagan administration, has expressed the worry in his provocatively entitled new book, Rogue Nation.* In this he makes two significant points. The first is that "the imperial project of the so-called neo-conservatives is not conservativism at all, but radicalism, egotism and adventurism articulated in the stirring rhetoric of traditional patriotism". The second is that this radicalism both frightens and enrages foreigners. What astonished me at the meeting is that these emotions are felt by pro-American businesspeople, politicians, academics and journalists. Americans believe that French and German opposition to the war in Iraq was a betrayal of decades of support. But many Europeans believe recent US behaviour was a betrayal of what the US has taught them. The ideological gulf is wide.
Americans and Europeans share many values. That is hardly an accident. The US devoted much blood and treasure to turning Europe into a stable continent of liberal democracies. But in many ways, Europe and the US have become very different. Most important, the US has now adopted old European theories of international relations, while the Europeans have embraced a newer American one.
The classic European system rested on the sovereign independence of states. In their relations, states recognised neither legal nor moral constraints. But states also agreed not to interfere in one another's internal affairs. Today's European states reject this view of the world, because it engendered catastrophe. Operating within an unstable balance of power, illiberal states fomented wars that brought the deaths of millions. European civilisation foundered.
The answer, Europeans decided, was to embrace the ideals proffered by the American president Woodrow Wilson: peace, free markets and democracy. Within Europe, under American auspices, they created a supra-national order that stood the classical system on its head. Instead of sovereign independence, Europe would have a supra-national authority and a shared commitment to democracy and human rights. Sensible Europeans are not naive enough to believe the world can operate without resort to force. They are also grateful to the US for its ability and willingness to apply that force. But they are Wilsonian, for an obvious reason: if Germany were to announce its adherence to the doctrines that now animate the US, stability in Europe would vanish.
Today's US is not Wilsonian. It is important, however, to define in what way it is not. In doing so, we must recognise the tension within the administration between nationalists and neo-conservatives. Where they agree is in their rejection of moral or legal constraints on the sovereign independence of the US. Where they disagree is on how far pursuit of those interests requires interference in the internal organisation of other states. Nationalists focus only on direct threats, principally state sponsorship of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Neo-conservatives desire to embed liberal democracy, as well, since its absence explains, in their view, why states generate these threats.
Nationalists then are anti-Wilsonian in both their means and their ends. Liberal imperialists are anti-Wilsonian in their means, but Wilsonian in their ends. Yet both groups unambiguously reject the secular religion of contemporary European elites, which is Wilsonian in means and ends. The new US doctrines are, from the general European point of view, poison. They invite them back to the world of Bismarck. For many Europeans the contemporary American ideology is made more bitter by the perception that it represents a betrayal of what they have learned from the US.
A transatlantic alliance cannot be sustained if the US remains dedicated to its current doctrines, except as a state of dependency on one side and mastery on the other. There are, instead, two alternatives. The first is a divorce, with abandonment of the institutions that bring the two sides of the Atlantic together. The second is a pragmatic partnership, in which the two sides work together in areas of common interest.
This is the approach advanced by a number of foreign policy thinkers, from both sides of the Atlantic, in a statement relea