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President Drnovšek meets the Governor of New Mexico
Davos (Switzerland) , 01/25/2003 | press release
At the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos, Switzerland, President Drnovšek today met the Democratic Governor of the US state of New Mexico, Bill Richardson, who was the Secretary of Energy in the Clinton administration and is also a former US Ambassador to the UN.
In his discussion, Governor Richardson acquainted Dr Drnovšek with his activities in relation to North Korea. He expressed his belief that the situation in this part of the world would gradually settle down and that talks could be resumed. He was less optimistic about a peaceful resolution to the Iraqi crisis and expressed his concern at the present state of relations between the USA and France and Germany. Governor Richardson also expressed an interest in the Slovenian appraisal of the situation in South-Eastern Europe.
President Drnovšek explained that in his opinion the most disturbing element of the Iraqi crisis was the influence it was having on Euro-Atlantic relations. Dr Drnovšek pointed out the feeling in Europe that the US had not yet presented sufficient reasons and a well-grounded justification for military intervention. He also expressed his concern at the possibility of the international community paying even more attention to other crisis points in the world, and neglecting the Balkans as a consequence. This could prove dangerous as the situation in the region is not entirely stable despite the progress achieved to date.
During the meeting, Governor Richardson expressed his interest in visiting Slovenia and at the same time invited President Drnovšek to visit New Mexico.
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