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President Drnovšek at the plennary session of the World Economic Forum
Davos (Switzerland) , 01/25/2003 | press release
President Janez Drnovšek, who is in Davos, Switzerland, as a guest at the annual meeting of the World Economic Forum, today participated in a plenary session on the development of transatlantic relations. The discussion was chaired by David Gergen, editor of the US News and World Report, and Theo Sommer, editor of Die Ziet. Philip Condit, chairman and CEO of the Boeing company was a special rapporteur. Taking part in addition to President Drnovšek were Joseph Biden, a senator for the US state of Delaware, Richard Haas, director of policy planning at the US Department of State and George A. Papandreou, the Greek foreign minister.
The participants in the session agreed that there had recently been splits in the positions of the United States and the countries of Europe, especially with regard to resolving the Iraqi crisis. These splits are in part the consequence of a lack of understanding on both sides of the Atlantic of the different approaches to managing international relations that result from historical experiences. American participants in the debate emphasised the US public’s traditional propensity to favour isolationism, which current criticisms of the United States’ global role could only strengthen. The participants warned that it was important in the current situation to act tactfully, as ill-considered public statements by significant figures on both sides could lead to an unnecessary additional burden being placed on mutual relations, at a time in which the international community was faced with important challenges. The prevailing opinion of the participants was that despite everything the US and Europe could overcome the challenges they faced and come up with positive solutions because their relations were based on shared values that offer a solid basis for a continued Euroatlantic partnership.
President Dr Janez Drnovšek expressed his concern at the growing differences in the positions of the United States and some European countries on how to resolve the Iraqi crisis and pointed out that there was less and less room to manoeuvre in finding a compromise because positions were clashing at the very highest levels. At the same time he pointed out that the situation did not only concern Iraq but also the future of transatlantic relations, making it extremely important that the two sides find a common language with which to resolve the Iraqi crisis. Maintaining the transatlantic partnership is exceptionally important to ensuring transatlantic peace and security, said President Drnovšek, because Europe was not capable of providing security alone, as was clearly seen during the conflicts in the former Yugoslavia. The role that the US played in resolving conflicts in the former Yugoslavia was an example that plainly demonstrated the need to maintain the Euroatlantic peace and security partnership.
Dr Drnovšek expressed the hope that a compromise solution would be found and said that transatlantic relations should not fall victim to the internal policies of individual countries.
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