Final preparations were underway in the Swiss Alps yesterday for an annual meeting this week of the world's elite to ponder tough topics, ranging from the future of Iraq to the fall of the dollar.
Security will be tight at the 33rd World Economic Forum (WEF), which is set to run from tomorrow to Sunday, attracting more than 2,000 high-status guests from 94 countries to the small ski resort of Davos.
Fresh from talks in New York, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, US overseer in Iraq Paul Bremer and a delegation of Iraqi ministers are due to make an appearance at the event, along with US Vice President Dick Cheney.
Also headlining is Iranian President Mohammad Khatami, taking a break from upcoming parliamentary elections, and Libyan Prime Minister Shukri Ghanem.
It will be Libya's first appearance at the forum in more than two decades in recognition of recent diplomatic steps taken by Tripoli, which vowed in December to abandon all programs to develop weapons of mass destruction.
Under a theme of security and prosperity equals peace, participants will be kept busy at working breakfasts, lunches and dinners slotted around seminars, brainstorming sessions and workshops from 7:30am to 10:30pm.
On the economic front, European Central Bank President Jean-Claude Trichet, US Commerce Secretary Donald Evans and Japan's Economic and Fiscal Policy Minister Heizo Takenaka are among the big guns due in town.
They will likely use the occasion to put their heads together over the swooning dollar, setting the stage for a Group of Seven finance ministers meeting in early February.
In addition, attempts to relaunch global free-trade talks will feature on the agenda, as the Swiss government plans to host a sideline World Trade Organization meeting on Friday, which is due to gather more than 20 trade and economics ministers.
The latest round of WTO negotiations, due to conclude by Jan. 1, 2005, has been on hold since a meeting in Mexico last September, which failed after bickering over cross-border investment and competition added to a more fundamental dispute over farm subsidies.
Back at the main forum, the Middle East peace process will also be explored, with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Jordan's King Abdullah II and two promoters of the so-called Geneva Initiative due to make an appearance.
And the impact on businesses of the EU's expansion to 25 countries from 15 later this year will be addressed.
Despite the big names expected at the event -- including 85 government representatives from Europe, 43 from North America and more than 40 from the Middle East -- Latin America's presence will be smaller than planned after Argentina's President Nestor Kirchner decided to pull out.
Although the organizers do not expect large demonstrations, security at the forum will be tight, and an unofficial protest is expected on Saturday.
About 2,000 army personnel are on the ground in Davos along with several hundred police, local officials said, adding that a maximum of 6,500 armed forces were on hand for deployment.
The Swiss authorities plan to close the airspace around the resort to reduce the threat of terrorism, while surrounding roads will be effectively sealed off to block any anti-globalization protesters, the WEF said.
For the time being, however, all was peaceful in Davos.
"The whole village is in a very calm state and I don't see any major problems coming up," said Andre Schneider, WEF managing director and chief operating officer.
As for the threat of a terrorist attack at the prestigious event, there was no sign of trouble at the moment.
However, the authorities were ready for action if the need arose.
The police believe there are between 1,000 and 1,500 people in Switzerland who are likely to answer a call to travel to Davos to demonstrate.
A demonstration against the forum attracted a few hundred people in Fribourg and also Bern. Several protesters received minor injuries when the police opened fire on them with rubber bullets.
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