SCOOP EDITOR'S NOTE: As the previous article from Nick Turner pointed out it is somewhat surprising that during the extended parliamentary debate over Helen Clark's
comments regarding Al Gore over the last couple of weeks, nobody bothered to cite the following article. In the
circumstances it seems somewhat apposite. The article is linked here and reproduced in full.
War with Iraq: 3 April 2003, Thursday.
I would never start this war if I were President, Former US Vice President Al Gore said via live videoconferencing at
The Economist 7th Government Roundtable "Leadership Strategy for the Strengthening of Trans-Atlantic Ties", which took
place April 2-4 in Athens.
Al Gore, whose participation in the conference has been prevented by secret services ban on travelling, underlined that
he would have tried to deal with Saddam Hussein with all other means available. He was asnwering a question from the
audience if he would start the war if he was elected president of the USA.
James Rubin, former US Assistant Secretary of State, speaking before Al Gore in the conference room at Astir Palace
Hotel, expressed confidence that Saddam Hussein possesses chemical weapons. He described the Iraqi crisis as the hardest
trial NATO has faced since its establishment.
Former Vice President of Sweden Carl Blidt expressed confidence that Bulgaria will become a full member of the European
Union in 2007.
The conference was held in the capital of Greece, which holds the EU's rotating presidency for the first half of this
year.
Bulgaria's Defense Minister Nikolay Svinarov and Maxim Behar, Bulgarian Business Leaders Forum Chairman, attend the
seventh consecutive summit, which focuses upon the strengthening of trans-Atlantic ties and the gap that has stemmed
through key economic, political and social issues on the global agenda.
Branko Crvenkovski, FYROM Prime Minister, Serbian Prime Minister Zoran Zivkovic and Albania's head of government Fatos
Nano are among the high-ranked guests of the conference.
The conference also explores the role that both Europe and the United States must assume in international politics,
restoring confidence in the international financial markets, setting priorities in trade policy and competition.
In the middle of March this year the Fourth Round Table with the Bulgarian government, organized by The Economist Group,
was held in Sofia. The cooperation between the Bulgarian government and the business community in the implementation of
structural reforms topped the agenda.
Representatives of Economist Corporate Network spoke on the economic development of Bulgaria. Bulgaria's accession in
the European Union, the business environment in Bulgaria, privatisation and their impact on the inflow of foreign
investments in the country were other important topics on the agenda.
The above article is a transcript from: