Category: World Service
Date: 27.09.2005
Printable version
Secrets of the the Bilderberg Group - the shadowy gathering of top Western politicians, business leaders, bankers and others that meets behind closed doors once a year to discuss world events - have been revealed in an exclusive 91Èȱ¬ interview with its chairman.
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Etienne Davignon, 73 - a former Belgian diplomat and European Commissioner and now businessman - dismissed claims that the Bilderberg Group is part of a global consipiracy to rule the world by a self-selected elite of movers and shakers.
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"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," he tells Bill Hayton in a rare interview, to be broadcast on 29 September as part of the Who Runs Your World? season extending across 91Èȱ¬ World Service, 91Èȱ¬ World television and online.
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"I don't think (we are) a global ruling class because I don't think a global ruling class exists. I simply think it's people who have influence interested to speak to other people who have influence.
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"Bilderberg does not try to reach conclusions - it does not try to say 'What we should do'... everyone goes away with their own feeling and that allows the debate to be completely open, quite frank - and to see what the differences are.
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"Business influences society and politics influences society - that's purely common sense. It's not that business contests the right of democratically-elected leaders to lead."
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Asked about the secrecy surrounding the Group, he said: "Two reasons why it's not an open discusson - we want it to be free and we want people to speak for the topic, not for outside. And as there are no conclusions, we can't publish them."
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On allegations of a conspiracy, he added: "It is unavoidable and it doesn't matter. There will always be people who believe in conspiracies: things happen in a much more incoherent fashion."
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So what is the point of Bilderberg in a chaotic world? "To be as useful as one can. It's a modest agenda."
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Asked if the Group ever reached general agreement on issues, Davignon said: "Not really - the problems we deal with are of a general nature and don't adjust to simple answers.
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"What can come out is that it's not wrong to try to deal with a problem and that you should go home and encourage people not to leave the problem on the table.
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"But a real consensus, an action plan with a one, two, three? The answer is no. People are much too sensible to believe they can do that."
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Lifting the veil of secrecy around deciding what is discussed and who is invited to attend Bilderberg meetings, he said: "There are no permanent members - but a small steering committee tries to decide issues of joint interest to Europeans and Americans.
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"And we have to have enough people who have never been to Bilderberg before so you keep a momentum and not simply have an old boys' club - and enough people who have been before who understand the format: that you speak shortly, you speak your mind and that nothing will ever be quoted.
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"You (also) try to look at people who would be interested (in attending) in relation to their own ambition to share thoughts with others.
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"And then, by happy accident, you invite people who go to great places - but then you also invite people who go nowhere."
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Asked for examples of how a discussion at Bilderberg had helped end a blockage on an international issue, Davignon said that over Iraq, "Relations between some European countries were not the best in the world - (but) the fact that the business community felt they would not be distracted from their long-term strategy in relation to this was a useful element.
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"In other words, you don't translate a quarrel on point 'A' into an across-the-line relationship."
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The interview can be heard on 29 September as part of the Who Runs Your World? season which extends across all 43 language services of 91Èȱ¬ World Service, 91Èȱ¬ World television and online.
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The two-week season (ending on 3 October) aims to challenge, inform and create a global forum for debate among the 190 million people who use the 91Èȱ¬'s international news services on radio, television and online every week.
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Notes to Editors
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The Bilderberg Group takes its name from the Bilderberg Hotel in Amsterdam, where it first met in 1954 with the aim of "furthering understanding" between Europe and the United States.
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It now meets once a year - usually at various plush locations in Europe.
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A steering committee devises a selected invitation list of around 120 names of 'movers and shakers' (including politicians, business people, bankers and media proprietors).
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The agenda is made public, but those attending agree not to reveal what was discussed.
