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Published on Sunday, January 27, 2002 by the Associated Press | ||
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World Economic Forum to Open
This Week in New York | ||
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by David E. Khalish | ||
| NEW YORK - When the World Economic
Forum opens this week, the largest gathering of political and business
leaders since Sept. 11 will address a world newly beset by insecurity,
conflict and recession.
Partly as a show of solidarity with a city stricken by terrorism, the economic talks are being held in New York instead of the quiet Swiss ski resort of Davos, where the forum has been held for 31 years. Normally little is decided by forum attendees, who swap business ideas, hobnob and party. But as the annual meeting starts Thursday, its 3,000 global leaders - as well as the anti-globalization, anti-war and other protesters on the streets - are seeking relevance in a world profoundly altered by the terror attacks on New York and Washington. Since then, the world has slipped into recession, tolerance for terrorism has plunged and trust in business has been shaken by the collapse of U.S. energy giant Enron. In early November, organizers moved the conference from Davos to the Waldorf-Astoria hotel partly to "show solidarity with New York in the wake of Sept. 11," forum spokesman Charles McLean said. "Most of our participants agree with us there has never been a more important time to convene a meeting like we're having here." For attendees, the new location means more than swapping ski boots for leather shoes. While still a business-dominated event, the forum this year includes fewer panels on globalization and more on ethnic conflicts and how to defuse tensions. The number of religious figures participating has risen to 43 from 17 last year, including more Muslim leaders. Nonbusiness groups like Amnesty International want to build support for an agenda that tries to balance human rights with the crackdown on terrorism. But the backdrop of New York, still reeling from the attacks on the World Trade Center that killed thousands, may heighten the challenge. "It's a city that has been devastated and still in deep shock. It will add to the weight and put more pressure on all participants to try to address this issue and to see how to balance security with upholding international standards," said Kamal Samari, a spokesman for London-based Amnesty International which is participating on a forum discussion panel. The agenda was shaken up elsewhere. Forum organizers threw off former Enron chairman Kenneth Lay, a regular participant, as his company collapsed amid allegations it cooked its books and bought political influence. Greenpeace decided to boycott the event after it was barred from a panel on the automotive industry, which it has accused of dragging feet on cutting emissions harmful to the environment. President Bush won't attend because of scheduling conflicts, but up to eight Cabinet members are coming, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, said McLean, the forum spokesman. Afghanistan leader Hamid Karzai is set to give opening remarks Thursday. While the five-day forum includes dozens of panels, workshops and speeches, many discussions among business and government leaders occur behind the scenes, in coffee shops and bars away from the public eye. It's such behind-the-scenes networking that riles opponents of global capitalism, who plan marches to bring to the fore their contentions that cozy economic institutions are widening the gap between rich and poor. "The WEF is a living symbol of political and business leaders scratching each others' backs, proclaiming that they're meeting to solve the world's problems while in reality they're looking for ways to enrich each other," said Eric Laursen of Another World is Possible, a coalition of anti-globalization groups that plans a march to the Waldorf-Astoria in the city's first mass demonstration since Sept. 11. Yet the public appetite has diminished for the strident tactics blamed on some protesters as well as police that grabbed headlines at the Davos summit last year and other recent world economic gatherings. Drawing from 40,000 police officers, New York authorities are ready to use crowd control tactics on unruly demonstrators honed during practice sessions earlier this month at Shea Stadium. "After Sept. 11, anyone who thinks that violence is a legitimate form of protest certainly won't find anyone to agree with them. My guess is New Yorkers won't be very sympathetic," McLean said. ### |
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