Bilderberg.org

[TonyGosling]

Bilderberg To Be Held In Istanbul
Published: 5/19/2007
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=176907

ANKARA - Following are the highlights from today`s Turkish daily VATAN. The Anadolu Agency is not responsible of opinions expressed or the context of the articles and does not vouch for their accuracy:

The annual Bilderberg Meeting, which gathers high level officials from the world business, politics and media circles, will be held in Istanbul this year. The main topics of the meeting are Turkey, Iran and energy issue, Vatan daily writes.

According to the daily, the 3-day meeting is an important event during which participants also determine the following year`s agenda.

According to authoritative sources, the meeting which will be held from May 31st to June 3rd in Istanbul, will mainly focus on issues such as a probable operation against Iran, energy policies and Turkey`s EU membership process.

Previously, two Bilderberg Meetings were held in Turkey, first one in 1959 in Istanbul and the other one in 1975 in Cesme town of Aegean city of Izmir.

According to Vatan, re-chosing Turkey as a venue after 32 years, can be interpreted as "a signal hinting the opening of EU`s doors to Turkey".

During last year`s meeting, Turkey-EU relations were also discussed quite intensely by the participants.

Former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and UNDP Administrator Kemal Dervis are some of the personalities who will attend this year`s meeting.

As U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) is responsible for the protection of participants, CIA agents are expected to arrive in Turkey next week in order to cooperate with Turkish officials regarding the security.

[Maximus]

THE NEW WORLD DISORDER
Secretive Bilderberg meeting set for Turkey
Kissinger, Rockefeller, media moguls among those scheduled to attend
Posted: May 30, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=55917

© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com


The super-secret Bilderberg Group, an organization of powerful international elites, is set to meet this week somewhere in Turkey – but even the precise location is a mystery.

The meeting begins Thursday and continues through Sunday.

Those expected to attend include Donald Graham, chairman and chief executive officer of the Washington Post, Richard N. Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller, John Vinocur, senior correspondent of the International Herald Tribune, Paul Gigot, editor of the editorial page of the Wall Street Journal, Nicholas Beytout, editor-in-chief of Le Figaro, George David, chairman of Coca-Cola, Martin Feldstein, president and chief executive officer of the National Bureau of Economic Research, Timothy F. Geithner, president and chief executive officer of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York, Vernon Jordan, senior managing director of Lazard Freres & Co., Anatole Kaletsky, editor at large of the Times of London and General William Luti, the new "war czar."

According to reports from Turkey, Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions and global energy issues will be on the agenda – but only invitees know for sure.

Welcome to the mysterious world of secret societies.

Did someone say "secret societies"?

"Most people don't realize they exist because their minds have been conditioned to reject any thought of such organizations," explains Dr. Stanley Monteith, a medical doctor by training, who set out on a mission to research groups like the Bilderbergers 40 years ago.

The results of his startling research is a little book called "Brotherhood of Darkness," in which he exposes the global agenda of organizations such as the Council on Foreign Relations and the Trilateral Commission.

How important are events like this weekend's Bilderberg conference?

It may not make any difference now, but in 2004, according to the New York Times, it was the standout "performance" of Sen. John Edwards at the super-secret Bilderberg meeting in Italy that sealed the deal on his nomination as John Kerry's vice presidential running mate.

Since 1954, the Bilderberg group has convened government, business, academic and journalistic representatives from the U.S., Canada and Europe with the express purpose of exploring the future of the North Atlantic community. The first meeting was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Netherlands – thus the name.

According to sources that have penetrated the high-security meetings in the past, the Bilderberg meetings emphasize a globalist agenda and promote the idea that the notion of national sovereignty is antiquated and regressive.

"It's officially described as a private gathering," noted a BBC report in 2003, "but with a guest list including the heads of European and American corporations, political leaders and a few intellectuals, it's one of the most influential organizations on the planet."

And according to a BBC report on 2004's conference in Stresa: "Not a word of what is said at Bilderberg meetings can be breathed outside. No reporters are invited in and while confidential minutes of meetings are taken, names are not noted. The shadowy aura extends further – the anonymous answerphone message, for example; the fact that conference venues are kept secret. The group, which includes luminaries such as Henry Kissinger and former UK chancellor Kenneth Clarke, does not even have a website."

But, counter participants, the secrecy is not evidence of a grand conspiracy, but only an opportunity to speak frankly with other world leaders out of the limelight of press coverage and its inevitable repercussions.

"There's absolutely nothing in it," argues the UK's Lord Denis Healey, one of the four founders of Bilderberg. "We never sought to reach a consensus on the big issues at Bilderberg," he told the BBC. "It's simply a place for discussion."

Related offer:
Shocking, connect-the-dots exposé of globalist plot
Previous stories: Bilderbergers meet secretly in Ottawa
Guess who's at super-secret Bilderberg meeting today
The next Bilderberg meeting
Clinton, Pope join Bilderbergers
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WorldNetDaily, also known as WND, is an American conservative online news site, founded in 1997. It is currently in the top 75 News sites as listed at Alexa.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_Net_Daily

[Maximus]

Wolfowitz, Kissinger to attend the Bilderberg meeting
The Bilderberg Group, which brings together people of influence from around the world, will begin its 2007 meeting in Turkey today.

Bilderberg is an annual conference of the global elite, the location of which changes every year. Power brokers from industry, oil companies, politics, banking, business, academia, royalty and the media get together to privately discuss the course of the world with no outside press coverage whatsoever. The secrecy of the group has attracted criticism and given rise to much conspiracy theory about possible covert plans of the global elite to rule the world. Many treat the meeting as a significant event during which participants also determine the following year’s agenda.

However, the group claims it does not set policy.

The elite group will be meeting today at the Klassis Hotel in the town of Silivri, 40 miles from İstanbul.

Sources say the meeting, which will be held from May 31 to June 3, will mainly focus on issues such as a probable operation against Iran, energy policies and Turkey’s EU membership process. During last year`s meeting, Turkey-EU relations were discussed quite intensely by the participants.

Two Bilderberg conferences were previously held in Turkey, the first in 1959 in Istanbul and the other in 1975 in Çesme, near the Aegean city of Izmir.

Economy Minister Ali Babacan, KOÇ Holding CEO Mustafa Koç and Yeni Şafak columnist Fehmi Koru are some of the Turks expected to attend the conference, while former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, former World Bank President Paul Wolfowitz, former US Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld and UN Development Programme (UNDP) chief Kemal Derviş are some of the international personalities expected to attend this year`s meeting.

http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=112758&bolum=102
31.05.2007
Today’s Zaman İstanbul
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Today's Zaman is a major Turkish daily newspaper. It was founded in January 16th 2007 and was the third Turkish daily newspaper in English. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Today's_Zaman

[Maximus]

Mysterious summit

Bilderberg Istanbul gathering the most effective figures of world politics and businessmen starts today.

The minister Ali Babacan, TÜSİAD chairman Arzuhan Yalçındağ, Boğaziçi University rector Soysal, Coca Cola manager Muhtar Kent, Kemal Derviş and 10 Turk will attend the summit. European Commission President Barroso, French minister of foreign affairs Kouchner and Perle are among the foreign guests.

***

World managers comes for mysterious summit

Bilderberg summit whose works are carried out in an excessive confidentiality and which hosts the world famous guests is held in Istanbul today.

Bilderberg Istanbul gathering the most effective figures of world politics and businessmen starts today.

The minister Ali Babacan, TÜSİAD chairman Arzuhan Yalçındağ, Boğaziçi University rector Soysal, Coca Cola manager Muhtar Kent, Kemal Derviş and 10 Turk will attend the summit. European Commission President Barroso, French minister of foreign affairs Kouchner and Perle are among the foreign guests.

The information about the place of the meeting is kept strictly confidential until the last minute and the details about the meeting will be announced with a declaration to be published today.

http://english.sabah.com.tr/38518C6AEB0C4ADF8D4F28C6B234190E.html
---
Sabah ("Morning") is a Turkish daily newspaper.
Competes with Hürriyet, Milliyet, Posta and Cumhuriyet as the popular newspapers in Turkey.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sabah_(newspaper)

[Maximus]

According to http://www.pressedd.com/index.php , "bilderberg" is mention on the following article, but it's not available online for free.

30/05/07 18:02 ATTENTION USERS: PROGRAM OF THE DAY THURSDAY 31/05/2007 Belga Press Agency

[Maximus]

Perry off to secret forum in Turkey

He'll speak about federalism at elite global conference

12:00 AM CDT on Thursday, May 31, 2007

By CHRISTY HOPPE / The Dallas Morning News - choppe@dallasnews.com
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/news/world/stories/DN-perry_31tex.ART.State.Edition1.43b926a.html

AUSTIN – Gov. Rick Perry is flying to Istanbul, Turkey, today to speak at the super-secret Bilderberg Conference, a meeting of about 130 international leaders in business, media and politics.


The Associated Press
Gov. Rick Perry leaves today for the Bilderberg Conference, an exclusive, hush-hush meeting of global leaders in business, media and politics.

The invitation-only conference was started in 1954 and named for the Dutch hotel where the conference was first held. Those who attend promise not to reveal what was discussed, security is tight, and the press and public are barred.

The conference has been the subject of conspiracy theorists and even Christian groups who wonder about its influence.

Robert Black, the governor's press secretary, said the governor was invited to attend and speak about state-federal relations. Mr. Black dismissed the conspiracy theories.

"He's looking forward to learning the secret handshake," Mr. Black joked.

He said that Mr. Perry is paying for the trip and host hotel, usually among the top in the world, out of campaign contributions from his Texans for Rick Perry committee.

Previous speakers at the conference have included such GOP stalwarts as outgoing World Bank chief Paul Wolfowitz and former U.S. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

Last year, the conference was held in Ottawa, and the Toronto Star reported that it had received an unsigned press release saying that the 2006 group included David Rockefeller, Henry Kissinger, Queen Beatrix of Holland, New York Gov. George Pataki, media moguls, high-level officials from Spain and Greece, and the heads of Coca-Cola, Credit Suisse and the Royal Bank of Canada.

Bilderberg chairman Etienne Davignon, a former Belgian diplomat, granted the British Broadcasting Corp. a rare interview two years ago in which he brushed aside myths surrounding the organization.

"When people say this is a secret government of the world, I say that if we were a secret government of the world, we should be bloody ashamed of ourselves," Mr. Davignon said.

Mr. Black said that the governor was going because he was invited. "He looks forward to talking to them about the system of federalism here in the United States," he said.

Regarding the secrecy surrounding the event, Mr. Black said: "It's their conference, and I suppose they can run it anyway they want. The governor was honored that they would ask him to come speak on the American experience, and he's happy to do it."

Mr. Perry returns to Texas on Monday.

[Maximus]

'High priests of globalization' in Istanbul

Thursday, May 31, 2007

TAYLAN BİLGİÇ
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=74608

Some call it "the multinational government", some call it the "elite club which shapes world policies" while others say it essentially "fixes" the world's fate. It literally breeds conspiracy theories all around the world with its secrecy, while participants say it is only a private gathering that should be respected.

Whatever it is, the mighty Bilderberg is at our door: The "high priests of globalization," as Will Hutton from The Observer once famously put it, begin their ultra-secretive annual meeting today in Istanbul. While the international media's silence gives rise to yet more conspiracy theories, the Turkish media is going nuts about it: from mass-circulation dailies to well-known weeklies, the media is Bilderberg-busy nowadays. Daily Vatan calls it "the most secretive meeting in the world," announcing: "Bilderberg in Istanbul." Weekly Aktüel says the "multinational government" is here to determine the fate of the world. It seems the hype will continue until the "high priests" end their Istanbul meeting on Sunday.

For those who have not heard about it yet, the Bilderberg Group is an "unofficial annual invitation-only conference of around 130 guests" (Wikipedia), influential, powerful figures from the realms of economy, media and politics. The name comes from their first meeting in 1954, which was held in the Hotel de Bilderberg in Oosterbeek, Netherlands. As the date signals, Bilderberg is a creation of the Cold War. The idea came from Joseph Retinger, who was concerned about the growth of anti-Americanism in Western Europe at the time. So, Bilderberg, just like other organizations like NATO, aimed at strengthening the "unity of the West" against the "communist threat."

With the collapse of the Warsaw Pact, the group focused on enhancing the American-led globalization. But then, the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks in New York and Washington practically resulted in another focus, which one might call the relation between "civilizations."

Thus, after the first gathering in Istanbul (1959) and the second one in İzmir (1975), a third gathering in Turkey, widely regarded as a “bridge” between the East and the West, seems appropriate.


People that run the world:

If one aspect of Bilderberg that irks many is its secrecy, another one is the identity of its participants. Looking at the list of regular "Bilderbergers," one cannot but think that these are really "the people that run the world". Veterans like Henry Kissinger, David Rockefeller and Zbigniew Brzezinski are joined every year by newcomers such as former U.S. President Bill Clinton, soon-to-be-former-PM Tony Blair, NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, former Pentagon adviser Richard Perle and countless others. Every year, the list also includes important "media people" from influential outlets such as The Financial Times, Washington Post, The Economist, The Times, Le Figaro and Die Zeit. The picture becomes complete with CEOs from the world's biggest companies such as Coca-Cola, Fiat, Suez-Tractebel, Royal Dutch Shell and British Petroleum.

With such a mixture, conspiracy theories abound; the most famous one being the "invisible hand" theory. According to some, those who are lucky enough to attend the meetings and get a blessing from the "inner circle" witness breath-taking career leaps. An "obscure governor" from Arkansas, one year after attending the Bilderberg meeting in 1991, became the President of the United States, while Tony Blair of Britain was elected prime minister three years after his attendance in 1993. But why did Margaret Thatcher, a regular Bilderberger, lose her job as Prime Minister in 1990? The theory says that she lost the support of Bilderberg because she did not accept the transfer of British sovereignty to a "European Super State." Of course, John Major, who took the job as Prime Minister after Thatcher, was also a Bilderberger.

One may choose to believe or not, but the secrecy of the meetings – no cell phones, no getting out of the hotel during three days, no notes, no interviews – creates fertile ground for conspiracy theories. When senior representatives of media giants such as the FT, the Wall Street Journal and The Washington Post attend the meetings every year and next to nothing is printed in the same papers about Bilderberg, one starts to wonder.


Dedicated journalists:

There are a few journalists who are dedicated to unveil the secret of the Bilderberg, though. People such as James P. Tucker, Daniel Estulin and Tony Gosling. The first two are in Istanbul, tracking down the participants, while Gosling, a Briton who runs the Web site www.bilderberg.org, could not come to the show. His Web site gets about three million hits a month, Gosling says, and attributes this great interest to the fact that "investigative journalism is pretty much dead" elsewhere. The Bilderberg is very powerful, especially financially, he told the Turkish Daily News over the phone: "So, if they come to a decision, it is effective."

Gosling has covered the last 10 meetings, and he thinks the gathering in Istanbul is of high importance. "There is a lot of tension on the Iran-Turkey border at the moment. Iraq is also right next door. This is an area of interest for Bilderberg," he said. "[The Bilderbergers] are worried that Islamic sentiment in Turkey is not in favor of an invasion of Iran. They are here to attempt to persuade the Turkish elite and bring them on board with the neocon plan for the Middle East."

But why the secrecy? Gosling posed the same question to David Rockefeller back in 2003. "He shrugged and said it was just a private meeting," he continues. "But the world does not buy this argument. There are politicians there and they are not private people. They are people who should be held accountable."

Gosling's claim, that the main topic of Bilderberg 2007 is Iran, is a widely held opinion. Other topics are energy policies and Turkey's bid for European Union membership, according to the daily Vatan. The paper is optimistic about the last item; it says the Istanbul meeting is a signal that the EU has "inched open the door" to Turkey, basing this claim on unnamed "Bilderberg sources."


A veteran of Bilderberg:

With four separate attendances in Atlanta, Ottawa, Stockholm and Lisbon, Turkey's former Central Bank governor, Gazi Erçel, is the most informed source one can find. “There are many international meetings such as Bilderberg, which have strict rules,” he said to the TDN. As to the reason of the secrecy, he says it is a precaution to ensure that everyone talks sincerely on the topics, without the concern of being quoted.

The conspiracy theories stem from ignorance about the meetings, Erçel said, quoting Confucius: “Those who produce ideas without the knowledge are harmful. As they do not know what Bilderberg is, they believe in superstitions.”

Erçel also got his share of mention in the conspiracy theories, as some accused him of “planning the 2001 financial crisis” at one of the meetings. “These are defective claims,” he said. “Bilderberg is a high-level meeting. Everyone talks freely and very striking debates take place.”

Over the years Bilderberg meetings had important Turkish participants. Among them are Süleyman Demirel, the former president; Gazi Erçel, former Central Bank chief; Mesut Yılmaz, former Prime Minister; Selahattin Beyazıt, a businessman and a "constant participant"; Mustafa Koç, the CEO of Koç Holding; former ministers İsmail Cem, Hikmet Çetin and Kemal Derviş and also some well-known journalists. Among them, Fehmi Koru from the conservative daily Yeni Şafak stands out, because until last year, he had written numerous critical columns on Bilderberg. Last year, things changed and he was also invited to the meetings. Afterwards, he wrote a six-day series on Bilderberg, telling much about the environment and the participants, but certainly not much on what was discussed. Koru is invited for a second time this year, but the "jump" in his career is yet to be seen!

As the Bilderbergers gather, probably giggling among themselves about the conspiracy theories abounding, it would be appropriate to quote Alasdair Spark, an expert in conspiracy theories, who had spoken to the BBC back in June 2004: "Should not we expect that the rich and the powerful organize things in their own interests? It is called capitalism!"



BILDERBERG 2007 INVITED GUESTS

(According to www.bilderberg.org)

Ali Babacan, Minister of Economic Affairs (Turkey)

Kemal Derviş, Administrator, UNDP (Turkey)

Mustafa V. Koç, Chairman, Koç Holding A.Ş. (Turkey)

Fehmi Koru, Senior Writer, Yeni Şafak (Turkey)

George Alogoskoufis, Minister of Economy and Finance (Greece)

Edward Balls, Economic Secretary to the Treasury (UK)

Francisco Pinto Balsemão, Chairman and CEO, IMPRESA, S.G.P.S.; Former Prime Minister (Portugal)

José M. Durão Barroso, President, European Commission (Portugal/International)

Franco Bernabé, Vice Chairman, Rothschild Europe (Italy)

Nicolas Beytout, Editor-in-Chief, Le Figaro (France)

Carl Bildt, Former Prime Minister (Sweden)

Hubert Burda, Publisher and CEO, Hubert Burda Media Holding (Belgium)

Philippe Camus, CEO, EADS (France)

Henri de Castries, Chairman of the Management Board and CEO, AXA (France)

Juan Luis Cebrian, Grupo PRISA media group (Spain)

Kenneth Clark, Member of Parliament (UK)

Timothy C. Collins, Senior Managing Director and CEO, Ripplewood Holdings, LLC (USA)

Bertrand Collomb, Chairman, Lafarge (France)

George A. David, Chairman, Coca-Cola H.B.C. S.A. (USA)

Anders Eldrup, President, DONG A/S (Denmark)

John Elkann, Vice Chairman, Fiat S.p.A (Italy)

Martin S. Feldstein, President and CEO, National Bureau of Economic Research (USA)

Timothy F. Geithner, President and CEO, Federal Reserve Bank of New York (USA)

Paul A. Gigot, Editor of the Editorial Page, The Wall Street Journal (USA)

Dermot Gleeson, Chairman, AIB Group (Ireland)

Donald E. Graham, Chairman and CEO, The Washington Post Company (USA)

Victor Halberstadt, Professor of Economics, Leiden University, (the Netherlands)

Jean-Pierre Hansen, CEO, Suez-Tractebel S.A. (Belgium)

Richard N. Haass, President, Council on Foreign Relations (USA)

Richard C. Holbrooke, Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC (USA)

Jaap G. Hoop de Scheffer, Secretary General, NATO (the Netherlands/International)

Allan B. Hubbard, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy, Director National Economic Council (USA)

Josef Joffe, Publisher-Editor, Die Zeit (Germany)

James A. Johnson, Vice Chairman, Perseus, LLC (USA)

Vernon E. Jordan, Jr., Senior Managing Director, Lazard Frères & Co. LLC (USA)

Anatole Kaletsky, Editor at Large, The Times (UK)

John Kerr of Kinlochard, Deputy Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc (the Netherlands)

Henry A. Kissinger, Chairman, Kissinger Associates (USA)

Bernard Kouchner, Minister of Foreign Affairs (France)

Henry R. Kravis, Founding Partner, Kohlberg Kravis Roberts & Co. (USA)

Marie-Josée Kravis, Senior Fellow, Hudson Institute, Inc. (USA)

Neelie Kroes, Commissioner, European Commission (the Netherlands/International)

Ed Kronenburg, Director of the Private Office, NATO Headquarters (International)

William J. Luti, Special Assistant to the President for Defense Policy and Strategy, National Security Council (USA)

Jessica T. Mathews, President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace (USA)

Frank McKenna, Ambassador to the US, member Carlyle Group (Canada)

Thierry de Montbrial, President, French Institute for International Relations (France)

Mario Monti, President, Universita Commerciale Luigi Bocconi (Italy)

Craig J. Mundie, Chief Technical Officer Advanced Strategies and Policy, Microsoft Corporation (USA)

Egil Myklebust, Chairman of the Board of Directors SAS, Norsk Hydro ASA (Norway)

Matthias Nass, Deputy Editor, Die Zeit (Germany)

Adnrzej Olechowski, Leader Civic Platform (Poland)

Jorma Ollila, Chairman, Royal Dutch Shell plc/Nokia (Finland)

George Osborne, Shadow Chancellor of the Exchequer (UK)

Tommaso Padoa-Schioppa, Minister of Finance (Italy)

Richard N. Perle, Resident Fellow, American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research (USA)

Heather Reisman, Chair and CEO, Indigo Books & Music Inc. (Canada)

David Rockefeller (USA)

Matías Rodriguez Inciarte, Executive Vice Chairman, Grupo Santander Bank, (Spain)

Dennis B. Ross, Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy (USA)

Otto Schily, Former Minister of Interior Affairs (Germany)

Jürgen E. Schrempp, Former Chairman of the Board of management, DaimlerChrysler AG (Germany)

Tøger Seidenfaden, Executive Editor-in-Chief, Politiken (Denmark)

Peter D. Sutherland, Chairman, BP plc and Chairman, Goldman Sachs International (Ireland)

Giulio Tremonti, Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies (Italy)

Jean-Claude Trichet, Governor, European Central Bank (France/International)

John Vinocur, Senior Correspondent, International Herald Tribune (USA)

Jacob Wallenberg, Chairman, Investor AB (Sweden)

Martin H. Wolf, Associate Editor, The Financial Times (UK)

James D. Wolfensohn, Special Envoy for the Gaza Disengagement (USA)

Robert B. Zoellick, Deputy Secretary of State (USA)

Klaus Zumwinkel, Chairman of the Board of management, Deutsche Post AG (USA)

Adrian D. Wooldridge, Foreign Correspondent, The Economist

[Maximus]

Secretive Bilderberg meeting is being held in Istanbul
http://en.apa.az/news.php?id=27592
[ 31 May 2007 13:54 ]

The Bilderberg group, a coterie of thinkers and power-brokers are meeting in Istanbul.

The meeting was attended by Turkish Minister of State Ali Babajan, Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen Association’s (TUSIAD) chairman Arzuhan Yalchidagh Doghan, rector of Boghazichi University Aisha Soysal, vice president of World Bank Kamal Dervish, of the leaders of “Coca Cola International” Mukhtar Kent and more 5 person from Turkey. The attendees from Europe include Hose Manuel Barosso, chairman of European Commission, Javier Solana, EU High Representative for the CFSP, Bernard Kouchner, Foreign minister of France, Michel Barnie, former deputy US State of Secretary Richard Holbruk, George Alogoskoufis, Economic Minister of Greece.
The place of the meeting was kept in secret. According to some sources’ information US Central Intelligence Agency asked Turkey government’s permit to provide security of the meeting. But Ankara refused CIA involvement in the providing meeting’s security.
Since 1954, the Bilderberg group has convened government, business, academic and journalistic representatives from the U.S., Canada and Europe with the express purpose of exploring the future of the North Atlantic community. The first meeting was held at the Hotel de Bilderberg in the Netherlands – thus the name.
The Bilderberg group is considered world forum where agreements and consensus are made on world issues. Mass media representatives are not let to watch the meetings of the organization with no press release at the end. /APA/

[Maximus]

Finland's Katainen to attend Bilderberg conference

http://newsroom.finland.fi/stt/showarticle.asp?intNWSAID=15865&group=Politics
31.5.2007 at 12:06

Jyrki Katainen (cons), Finland's finance minister, is to attend the secretive Bilderberg conference in Turkey.

This year, the four-day meeting is to take place in Istanbul, beginning Thursday.

The other Finns taking part are Jorma Ollila, chairman of oil giant Royal Dutch Shell and mobile phone maker Nokia; Teija Tiilikainen, the political state secretary of Ilkka Kanerva (cons), the foreign minister, and Atte Jääskeläinen, the editor of the Finnish Broadcasting Company's news arm and the public broadcaster's deputy chief executive.


/STT/

© Copyright STT 2007

[Maximus]

May 31, 2007, 4:34PM
Governor heads to conference in Istanbul
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/ap/tx/4851958.html

© 2007 The Associated Press

AUSTIN — Texas Gov. Rick Perry left Thursday for a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where he is attending the Bilderberg Conference.

The annual conference is typically a private event for influential government officials and financial experts from Europe and North America.

Perry was invited to speak on state-federal relations. He is scheduled to return to Texas on Monday. The trip is being paid for by Perry's campaign fund, said his spokesman, Robert Black.



Governor heads to conference in Istanbul

Associated Press - May 31, 2007 5:55 PM ET
http://www.ktre.com/Global/story.asp?S=6594904&nav=2FH5

AUSTIN (AP) - Texas Governor Rick Perry left today for a trip to Istanbul, Turkey, where he is attending the Bilderberg Conference.

The annual conference is typically a private event for influential government officials and financial experts from Europe and North America.

Perry was invited to speak on state-federal relations. He is scheduled to return to Texas on Monday.

A Perry spokesman says the trip is being paid for by Perry's campaign fund.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.



Perry speaking to top-secret group in Turkey
Austin American-Statesman (Texas) - 6/1/2007 - LENGTH: 252 words
Fresh off of Monday's end to the legislative session, Gov. Rick Perry is in Istanbul, Turkey, this week to speak to the Bilderberg Conference, a top-secret international meeting of corporate, media and political players. The group has inspired many a conspiracy theory about its role in major world events. "He was invited by the Bilderberg Conference to come give a speech on the state-federal relationship in America and federalism," said Perry spokesman Robert...
Tje next to http://alacarte.lexisnexis.com/partners/int/lexisnews/srchNW.asp for $3 or at http://nl.newsbank.com

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Anatolia news agency, Ankara - May 31, 2007

Turkey: Istanbul to host Bilderberg meeting
Istanbul, 31 May: The 55th Bilderberg Meeting will begin in Istanbul on Friday [1 June], with the participation of 135 leading figures from different countries.Bilderberg is an annual conference of the global elite, the location of which changes every year. The event gathers high-level officials from the world business, politics and media circles.Issues such as new world order, Turkey, the Middle East, Europe, the United States, democracy and populism, prevention of proliferation of...

Purchase Complete Article, of 285 words at http://nl.newsbank.com

[TonyGosling]

Controversial elite group meets in Istanbul
"Attention, planet Earth: Your future is being decided today at the annual Bilderberg Group conference.
02.06.2007
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/detaylar.do?load=detay&link=112943
In its 55th meeting the Bilderberg again brings together the powerful global elite including Dutch Queen Beatrix.
 This year's five-star resort site is the Klassis Hotel in Silivri, Turkey, 40 miles from Istanbul," reads a message posted May 31, on the Web site of New York's popular newspaper, The Village Voice. The author of the piece, like pretty much of the international and Turkish media, got both the date and the place wrong. The Bilderberg meeting was not in Silivri but in I?stanbul, at the Ritz Carlton. It did not start on May 31, but on June 1. What could all this secrecy and outright misinformation about the dates and places of the meeting mean?Could it mean that conspiracy theorists, convinced that the Bilderberg conference -- a yearly invitation-only gathering of global powerbrokers in a luxury hotel usually in the Western hemisphere -- decides the future of humanity, are actually right. In certain quarters the war in Yugoslavia and even the endeavors of Osama Bin Laden, among many other things, are said to have been devised by the Bilderberg group.

Deciding the world's fate or not, the mystique surrounding the conferences is certainly nerve-wracking for your more average earthling. Not a word of what is said at the Bilderberg meetings can be breathed outside as the participants are only accepted upon making agreement not to reveal what is discussed. Although meeting minutes are taken and released afterwards, names are not registered. The conference venues and the list of participants are kept secret until the last minute.

The Bilderberg group has an office in Leiden, South Holland, but it does not have a Web site.

Not everyone agrees. Mehmet Ali Birand, a Turkish journalist said to actually be attending this year's Bilderberg meeting, asked in his column in the Posta daily asked “Why are we so scared of Bilderberg?” and explained that Bilderberg has nothing to do with any of the conspiracy theories that roam about. “Bilderberg meetings constitute a forum where international developments are discussed, debated and where participants learn a lot from each other. It is not much different from a seminar or a conference organized by an upscale NGO.”

Furthermore Birand argued there is an added benefit for the country, “Under these circumstances, coming together in I?stanbul, they will also discuss Turkey. They will try to make head and tail of the situation. They will receive information. Let's not forget that their gathering in I?stanbul is an opportunity for all of us because of these aspects of the meeting.”

Cüneyt Ülsever, another Turkish journalist who attended the conference in 2005, thinks differently. “I don't agree that it is important for Turkey, per se. It brings together the most important people from politics, business and bureaucracy. This is why it is important.” However, “It could be important for Turkey too, if our prime minister delivered a speech and used the opportunity to have all these people together. It might be turned into an opportunity if we manage to use it right,” Ülsever said. He added that the prime minister of the host country automatically has the right to show up before the Bilderberg guests and make a statement if they so choose.

Ülsever, as an attendee of one of the meeting, treats all the conspiracy theories about Bilderberg as nonsense. “There are no policies set at the end of the meetings, there are no decisions taken,” he wrote. He blames the secrecy of the meetings and some journalists' approach to the Bilderberg meeting for the bad reputation the meetings have.

This year’s guests

In its 55th meeting the Bilderberg again brings together the powerful global elite. The “high priests” this year are expected to look at Iran and nuclear proliferation, global warming, Turkey's EU membership, the Middle East and “democracy and populism.”

Turkish State Minister Ali Babacan, former Foreign Minister Hikmet Çetin, UN Development Program (UNDP) head Kemal Dervis¸, Turkish Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (TÜSI?AD) President Arzuhan Dog<breve>an Yalç?ndag<breve>, former TÜSI?AD President Erkut Yücaog<breve>lu, Koç CEO Mustafa Koç, Bog<breve>aziçi University Rector Ays¸e Soysal, Coca-Cola Company Executive Director Muhtar Kent, former Ambassador Cem Duna, and journalists Cengiz Çandar and Mehmet Ali Birand, as well as Ümit Boyner and Emre Gönensay, are this year's Turkish participants of the Bilderberg conference.

Dutch Queen Beatrix, Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt, Finnish Finance Minister Jyrki Katainen, former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, International Monetary Fund (IMF) President Rodrigo De Rato and EU Enlargement Commissioner Olli Rehn are some of the global guests of the meeting.

Meanwhile, security around the Ritz Carlton near I?stanbul's Taksim Square was extensive. The police blocked roads and sidewalks accessing the hotel. Pedestrians cannot get within 50 meters of the hotel. Nobody is allowed to enter the Ritz Carlton except the Bilderberg guests. The meeting is expected to end on June 3.

[Maximus]

Kissinger calls for cooperation with US
Friday, June 1, 2007
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=74750
ŞAFAK TİMUR
ISTANBUL - Turkish Daily News

While guests at the super-secretive Bilderberg meeting in Istanbul started to settle in the Ritz Carlton Hotel, former U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, who is among the guests, called on the international community to cooperate with the U.S. to end the civil war in Iraq at a conference organized by Turkish banking giant Akbank yesterday.

Delivering a speech at the conference called “Global Developments and Turkey: Taking Lessons from the Past, Understanding the Future,” Kissinger called for the neighbors of Iraq along with the permanent members of the United Nations (UN) Security Council, Egypt, Pakistan and India to create “an international outline for quieting the civil war in Iraq and permit Iraqis to determine their own destiny.”

An immediate withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq would spread the crisis to neighboring countries including India with its large Muslim population, Kissinger claimed. “Turkey is in a position to make an important contribution for shaping what I mentioned above,” he added. Saying that Turkey's being part of the European system has an extremely strategic importance.

Acknowledging that the proliferation of nuclear weapons was ignored in the past, Kissinger said that the urgent issue today was to stop North Korea and Iran developing nuclear weapons, “rather than waiting for the U.S. to make sacrifices.”



Bilderberg confidential:

As Kissinger spoke, preparations for the Bilderberg gathering were going on at the Ritz Carlton, with heightened security in the vicinity. The police put up metal barriers around the hotel making sure no one gets close and a group of policemen were waiting in front of the Beşiktaş İnönü Stadium close to the hotel.

No one in the area seemed to know what was going on inside the Ritz Carlton.

A waiter from a nearby café, who refused to give his name, said he knew nothing about the meeting. A seasonal worker from Tokat, a central Anatolian city, working in the reconstruction of pavements just across the hotel said, “businessmen were inside.”

“They came yesterday,” said 44-year old Hüsamettin Çiftçi. “I do not think that they will talk politics.”



Drivers disturbed:

A group of taxi drivers were sitting at the tables of a tea stall in front of the Inönü Stadium, waiting for passengers. They said that something was happening in the area. A steamy debate started after they learned that senior guests from all over the world were at the hotel. Laughter mixed with comparisons on the HABITAT Istanbul meeting – The United Nations Conference on Human Settlements. “They did not pay the price for the İETT land either,” said one driver, referring to the latest controversy over the land acquisition of Dubai Crown Prince Sheikh al-Makhtoum.

It was like a National Security Council (MGK) meeting, İsmail Çevik, a driver said. The comment triggered another debate on elections, leading Çevik to ask: “Who will vote for the [governing] Justice and Development Party (AKP)?” Some of the drivers said they were happy with the AKP's policies, while some stayed silent.

The United States “has its finger in the [Bilderberg] meeting,” Çevik continued.

“They are the gendarmerie of the world,” Seyfettin Yüksel added. The secrecy of the meeting did not seem to disturb him. Çevik, however, did not think the same. “Any possibility comes to my mind, when it is confidential,” he said.

“They are not going to destroy Turkey, are they?” a fourth driver asked, declining to give his name. The Bilderberg participants “might be deciding on who the next president of Turkey will be,” he said.

[Maximus]

Why are we scared of Bilderberg?
Friday, June 1, 2007
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=74734

Mehmet Ali Birand - guest to this year conference according to the article post by Tony Gosling just above


It is the day of the conspiracy theorists.

They will be coming up with many fantasies starting today and lasting through the weekend. One wonders what they will come up with. They will form hard-to-believe stories about Turkey's future.

The reason for this exciting development is that the Bilderberg meeting is taking place in Istanbul this year.

According to conspiracy theorists, people against the West, nationalists, and fundamentalists, Bilderberg is no different from a mafia establishment full of tie-wearing, famous, influential people. They convene each year to decide how they will run the world and which country they would like to push and in what direction.

But Bilderberg has nothing to do with any of this. Participants of the meeting do wear ties, and they are well-known and influential people in their countries. However, one should not believe in what he or she hears or reads apart from these facts.

Bilderberg meetings constitute a forum where international developments are discussed, debated, and where participants learn a lot from each other. It is not much different from a seminar or a conference organized by an upscale NGO. The difference is the participants. The distinctness of the organization is a result of the quality of its participants, and not the decisions they make.

The reason for the confidentiality of the meetings is that attendees can reveal their views without constraints. So that they do not bite on their tongues, worried “How will the media reflect what I say?”

If well-known influential people convene in a luxury hotel under strict security measures for three days, it paves the way for conspiracy theorists.

We should be happy that Bilderberg is taking place in Turkey, at a time of the Iraq catastrophe, the increased Kurdish activity, and the Islamic-secular debate. There is an uncertainty in the international public opinion. Rumors of a coup are increasing. The tensions between the government on one side and the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK), the opposition, and the justice on the other are escalating. For the first time, Turkey's future is being discussed very seriously.

Under these circumstances, coming together in Istanbul, they will also discuss Turkey. They will try to make heads and tails of the situation. They will receive information. Let's not forget that their gathering in Istanbul is an opportunity for all of us because of these aspects of the meeting.

What is Bilderberg?

Polish sociologist Joseph Retinger first brought up the idea in 1954 against the dangers created by the increasing anti-Americanism in Europe. It became active when the Dutch Prince Bernard, Unilever Chairman Paul van Zeeland, who later became Belgium's prime minister, and Paul Rijkens joined in. It got its name from Hotel de Bilderberg in Arnhem, Holland, where the first meeting took place on May 29, 1954.

Two conservatives and two liberals were invited from each European country and the United States. The aim was to strengthen the relations between the United States and Europe and to form a common civilian frontier against the Soviet threat.

Nearly 100 people were invited among politicians, businesspeople, bankers, journalists, and from the artistic-cultural circles. The meeting was so successful that its founders decided to hold it on a yearly basis.

It had a general secretary, a 20-person administrative board, a small secretariat, and participants from three categories: permanent members, temporary members, and temporary guests that were invited to every meeting. No elections are held for the board; new members are chosen among those suggested by older members. Though at first all board members financially contributed, later the financing of the meeting was supported through rolling capital. Furthermore, as the administrative board and the participators in the meetings pay for their expenses, the organization does not need a substantial income.

The names of attendees are revealed but what is said cannot be revealed in detail or who said what. It was because of this secrecy that Bilderbergers got criticized for first being a CIA organization, then a Vatican organization. But they never discontinued their work. They were not perturbed by the criticisms. Carried on for the past 53 years, these meeting are institutionalized. They are carrying on with the participation of people such as Dr. Kissinger, Rumsfeld, Wolfowitz, Alec Douglas Home, Lord Carrington, Clinton, and Blair.

[Maximus]

Presidential hopeful Gül woos 'Bilderbergers'
Saturday, June 2, 2007
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=74829
DUYGU GÜVENÇ
ANKARA - Turkish Daily News


Foreign Minister Abdullah Gül arranged a special dinner for the participants at the Bilderberg conference who are meeting in Istanbul this year. The Foreign Ministry protocol organized the dinner for about 150 people at Muayede, the biggest hall in Dolmabahçe Palace on Friday.

Gül handed out swift invitations to participants at the Bilderberg conference, considered a meeting of the people who run the world.

Dutch Queen Beatrix, Spanish King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia, NATO Secretary General Jaap G. Hoop de Scheffer, Finnish Prime Minister Matti Vanhonen, Austrian Prime Minister Alfred Gusenbauer, President of the European Commission José M. Durão Barroso, Foreign Minister of Sweden Carl Bildt, EU Commissioner Olli Rehn, the President of the United Nations Development Programme Kemal Derviş were invited to Gül's special dinner for “Bilderbergers,” according to foreign ministry sources.

Abdullah Gül was nominated as the presidential candidate of the Justice and Development Party (AKP) and failed to get elected following the annulment of the vote by the Constitutional Court last month. Gül previously said he is still a candidate of the Justice and Development Party for the presidential elections.

State Minister Ali Babacan is among the participants at the conference this year. Turkey was one of the topics of discussion at the Istanbul meeting. Over the years Bilderberg meetings have hosted Turkish politicians like former President Süleyman Demirel and former Prime Minister Mesut Yılmaz. The Bilderberg Conference is an unofficial meeting of influential, powerful figures from the realms of economy, media and politics since 1954. This is the third gathering of Bilderberg in Turkey since 1954 and will end on June 3.

[TonyGosling]

La reina Sofía inaugura la reunión 'turca'del Club Bilderberg
20MINUTOS.ES. 01.06.2007 - 20:22h
http://www.20minutos.es/noticia/242411/0/reunion/anual/bilderberg/
Ampliar fotoHOTEL RITZ-CARLTON DE ESTAMBUL.

Es un grupo de élite que trata asuntos de interés mundial.
Kissinger, uno de los supuestos invitados, ha dado una rueda de prensa.
España contaría con dos representantes en esta reunión.
La reina Sofía de España se encuentra en Estambul "en visita privada, para asistir al encuentro del Club Bilderberg", en su edición 2007, según confirmaron a Efe fuentes diplomáticas en Ankara.
En la lista de asistentes figuran, además de la reina, otros dos españoles: el consejero delegado del Grupo PRISA, Juan Luis Cebrián, y Matías Rodríguez Inciarte, vicepresidente del Grupo Santander.
Entre los 135 invitados de este elitista club, que reúne a algunos de los hombres y mujeres más poderosos del mundo, figuran, admás, el ex secretario de Estado estadounidense Henry Kissinger, el comisario de Ampliación de la Unión Europea, Olli Rehn, y el director ejecutivo de Coca-Cola, Muhtar Kent, además de ministros y miembros de Casas Reales de varios países europeos, según la prensa local.
A las reuniones del Grupo Bilderberg asisten siempre destacados miembros del panorama político, económico y de los medios de comunicación. Se celebran anualmente desde que en 1954 las instituyera el príncipe holandés Bernardo de Lippe-Biesterfeld para reforzar los lazos entre los países de América del Norte y Europa.
Tapadera
Según la prensa turca, Henry Kissinger, el que fuera secretario de Estado norteamericano años atrás, dio una conferencia en Estambul (en la que pidió a la comunidad internacional que apoyase a Estados Unidos "para acabar con la guerra civil en Irak") aunque esta conferencia, para algunos analistas, no ha sido más que una tapadera que justificara su asistencia a la reunión Bilderberg.
Juan Luis Cebrián y Matías Rodríguez Inciarte podrían estar en la lista de invitados
El llamado 'Club Bilderberg' es uno de los clubs más célebres, y más o menos 'secretos' o 'discretos', que existen en el mundo de la alta política y las finanzas.
Sus encuentros anuales se han desarrollado siempre en un clima de secretismo propio de sociedades más o menos esotéricas, aunque en los últimos años ha salido a la luz repetidas veces, especialmente gracias reportajes aparecidos en la prensa internacional, y a un libro de Daniel Estulin en el que revelaba parte de esos 'secretos'.
Trajín en la zona y secretismo en el hotel
El Turkish Daily News da cuenta del trajín de personalidades en la zona y los preparativos en el exclusivo hotel Ritz Carlton de Estambul de las reuniones de este año, todo bajo cierto secreto. Varios foros de internet son un hervidero de comentarios, de gente que da su testimonio de lo que ve desde la zona.


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