NEW YORK (voa) – U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell addressed the World Economic Forum in New York City Friday and said the United States is not only committed to fighting terrorism, but also to battling the poverty and hopelessness that breeds it.
Secretary Powell said, “We have to show people who might move in the direction of terrorism there is a better way”.
Some 3,000 prominent business leaders, politicians and celebrities have converged on New York for the forum. A number of participants have described the September 11 terrorist attacks as a global wake-up-call, and have pledged to turn their attention to the world’s needs instead of corporate balance sheets.
This is the first time in 31 years the meeting is not taking place in the Swiss resort town of Davos. The Forum decided to hold this year’s meeting in New York City as a gesture of solidarity following the September 11 attacks that destroyed the city’s World Trade Center. The forum’s theme this year is “Leadership in Fragile Times: a Vision for a Shared Future.”
The meeting site at the Waldorf-Astoria hotel is surrounded by concrete barriers, and 4,000 police are patrolling Manhattan’s streets. So far, there have been no disruptions and only eight arrests have been reported. Anti-globalization activists say protests during the forum will be peaceful. Protests planned for Friday include a teach-in and a video news conference.
Local retailers in the barricaded zone around the forum site say they are losing thousands of dollars a day as heavy security keeps customers away.
