Remember that 'secret summit'

by BlackPope Wed Jul 24, 2002 21:25

Or just maybe give some condensed details..

BP

by Mags Thu Jul 25, 2002 17:05

Well, I wasn't sure what to do as I posted a story from the papers before and got a ream of abuse for posting from the 'mainstream media' and was told that people could read stuff there themselves. Anyway, since you ask, here it is:

Irish Independent - 24th July 2002
€300,000 of our money spent on 'secret' summit's security
NEARLY €300,000 in taxpayers' money was spent on providing garda security for a highly secret summit staged in Dublin last month by an American foundation.
Former US president Bill Clinton was among the small number of world leaders who were confirmed to have attended the conference in the Four Seasons Hotel in Ballsbridge.
A total of €279,672 was spent on policing the event from June 6-9, according to details released by the Minister of Justice in response to a Dail question from Socialist TD Joe Higgins. The cost of the security operation to put a ring of steel around the hotel were met by the garda budget.
But taxpayers are still largely in the dark about who their money went towards protecting at the event, which was organised by the US-backed Academy of Achievement.
Two hundred of the world's most outstanding graduate students were invited to attend, and other speakers included the prizewinning writer, Frank McCourt, and U2 frontman Bono. Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was there, along with the Afghan premier, Hamid Karzai, among others.
Mr Higgins said last night that the organisers could more aptly be named "Academy of Egos" for being "composed as it is of former political leaders such as Clinton and (former Russian leader, Mikhail) Gorbachev, who seem to think they should still strut the international stage at taxpayers' expense."
He added that while the Minister for Justice refused to reveal the number of gardai deployed on security for the academy, he was very forthcoming with information on the number of gardai employed on the new operation to round up illegal immigrants.
The public and press where kept well away from proceedings at the Four Seasons last month thanks to elaborate security measures, which at times bordered on the bizarre. Large numbers of gardai, backed up by a Secret Service-type personnel equipped with earpieces and sleeve microphones, ringed the hotel.
The organisers, who described themselves as a non-profit-making organisation dedicated to the education and inspiration of youth, refused to release a guestlist or permit journalists to interview the guests.

by Daithi - 1 of IMC Thu Jul 25, 2002 17:15

Mags is right. Posted articles from other websites, especially well-trafficked sites like unison.ie are not welcome on the newswire. Of course it's annoying to have to wade through the ads on Unison.ie - so that's why we should be writing our own news items, or commenting on how the mainstream media is dealing with stories. Indymedia's not meant to be a one-stop shop for your daily news fix (of course, that would be Newstalk 106...hmmmm), but an alternative.

NEWSwire.

by Deep throat Fri Jul 26, 2002 00:27

I was working on a job on the weekend of the Summit and came into contact with staff at the four seasons and got a good run down of who was at this summit.

Four members of the Afghan interm government.

five saudi princes (they got the presidental suite).

Clinton.

Kissenger and his son.

The former Pakistian president. I can't spell her name.

I remember walking past trinity on the day of the summit and not one garda could tell me who was meeting. Why exactly were all these former and current world leaders wandering around dublin and generating ZERO column inches..........

by Mags Fri Jul 26, 2002 15:00

Yes Deep Throat, that is what I thought at the time.

And y'know the way that if even the deputy vice sub official (paper clips department) of some banana republic comes here they go for the big grub-up in Dublin Castle, visit to the Pressie, patronising meeting with selected 'ordinary Irish People', etc. Not to mention free B&B in Farmleigh. Any chance the government gets this formula is followed.

But all these important bods arrive, snuggle down behind hundreds of cops (paid for by us) in the Four Seasons for the week, and almost no comment or questionning about it. And we are expected to believe that five Saudi princes give a flying f*ck about postgrad students getting some awards. Yeah right.

I'm wondering if ex-world leaders are being used to sound out situations and possible scenarios regarding world affairs and passing on the results to the present leaders of their countries. Sort of unofficial ambassadors. The Saudi / Pakistan / Russia / USA type theme would be relevant both to stuff around Afghanistan and also Iraq.
Maybe I'm too cyncial, but if that sort of scenario were true it means there should be a lot more scrutiny of such gatherings.