kdrago
Sep 18th, 2005, 09:48 AM
Antendees at the Clinton Global Initiative were told on Friday that terrorist groups like Hezbollah and Hamas should be "engaged" by the world's peace loving nations - even if their members persist in trying to destroy Israel and America.
Newsday reports that during a session on religious-political relations, Alastair Crooke, director of the British-based Conflicts Forum, said:
"Governments should engage groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, who, despite their use of violence, were willing to participate in the political process and had strong credibility with many people in the Middle East."
By ignoring such groups, Crooke warned, governments risk inadvertently creating and promoting far more radical organizations.
For his part, ex-President Clinton suggested that the best way to prevent terrorists from discouraging economic growth in the Middle East was to offer businesses looking to invest there terrorism insurance.
"I think we ought to consider maybe setting up some sort of an insurance program against terror because I think there’s maybe too much fear of it," he told the group.
"So I would just like to ask that you consider setting up some sort of insurance structure where, for a modest fee, an entrepreneur could participate in pooled insurance so that if something happened because of a terrorist act they could be made whole. Then I think we’d have a lot more success in getting venture capital in there."[/quote]
Newsday reports that during a session on religious-political relations, Alastair Crooke, director of the British-based Conflicts Forum, said:
"Governments should engage groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah, who, despite their use of violence, were willing to participate in the political process and had strong credibility with many people in the Middle East."
By ignoring such groups, Crooke warned, governments risk inadvertently creating and promoting far more radical organizations.
For his part, ex-President Clinton suggested that the best way to prevent terrorists from discouraging economic growth in the Middle East was to offer businesses looking to invest there terrorism insurance.
"I think we ought to consider maybe setting up some sort of an insurance program against terror because I think there’s maybe too much fear of it," he told the group.
"So I would just like to ask that you consider setting up some sort of insurance structure where, for a modest fee, an entrepreneur could participate in pooled insurance so that if something happened because of a terrorist act they could be made whole. Then I think we’d have a lot more success in getting venture capital in there."[/quote]