International

Premier Balkenende clearly feels no need to let the Dutch people know just what insights he, Queen Beatrix, Crown-Prince Willem-Alexander and Secretary of State Hans Timmermans hopes to gain behind the closed doors of the Bilderberg Conference this weekend. In answer to Parliamentary Questions from Socialist Party MPs Harry van Bommel and Ronald van Raak, he stated that he was pleased to be attending such a conference, where he would gain knowledge and insight, but was not planning to present a report on the event as precisely what was discussed should remain secret.

"Bilderberg isn't simply a cosy talking-shop where the premier gets a chance to relax for once," said Van Bommel. "Meetings of the very highest level are conducted there which can have the most far-reaching consequences for world politics. With four representatives of the Netherlands it will have, in any case, just such implications for our position in the world."

The Bilderberg Conference has been shrouded in mystery since its inception in 1954, as participants never say exactly what has been discussed. This year all the Bilderberg Group, which organises the conference have permitted us to know is that around 140 influential people from Europe and the US are getting together to talk about the major problems of our time, including Iran, nuclear weapons, Afghanistan, Pakistan and Islamic fundamentalism. Premier Balkenende says that that he was pleased to be attending such a conference where he would gain knowledge and insight, and drew a comparison with the World Economic Forum (WEF) which takes place each winter in Davos, Switzerland.

"This is a lame comparison," says Van Bommel. "The WEF is much more open, and politicians from developing countries as well as journalists are regular visitors. An extended report is published of what is discussed. None of this is true in the case of Bilderberg. There's no press conference, and no clear statement is made about how the subjects are presented. The Bilderberg Group itself says that the meeting is extremely important for the future, so I'd like to see the guest list. But I also want to see parliamentary openness regarding what knowledge and insights the premier has brought back from his trip to the conference."