Politics and business takes stage at World Economic Forum

DAVOS, Switzerland — It's a four-day meeting of some of the most prominent minds on the planet.

Fifteen heads of state, top business leaders and celebrities like singer Bono gather in this exclusive Alpine resort this week to brainstorm on key issues facing the globe: Iran's nuclear program, high oil prices, new business models, and the shifting balance of power in Asia.

The forum that began in the 1970s as place to discuss new management techniques has evolved into an eclectic feast where lofty philosophizing sits at the table with shameless schmoozing.

World leaders attending Davos this year include German Chancellor Angela Merkel and Pakistan's President Pervez Musharraf, along with U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

One of the top themes will be the emergence of China and India as true global powerhouses economically, politically and — to the concern of many — militarily.

"It's one of the five key pillars of the program that everyone is talking about,'' said Mark Adams, the Forum's spokesman. "We're going beyond the stage of talking about their potential but looking at them in geopolitical terms.''

Though the forum falls on the Chinese lunar new year, several officials from the country are making the visit to Davos, including Vice-Premier Zeng Peiyan.

The main theme of the event is "The Creative Imperative'' — a topic that was chosen because of its ability to influence business, politics, reform and more, said Klaus Schwab, who founded the forum in 1971.

"It is the unique ability of the annual meeting to make sense of a rapidly changing world. It is this 'creativity' in pursuit of the common good that is at the heart of the 'spirit of Davos,''' he said in a statement.

More than 2,340 participants from 89 countries are attending, including 735 who are either chairmen, chief executives or chief financial officers of their companies, the highest figure of corporate leaders ever, said Adams. They include Craig Barret, chairman of Intel Corp., Lakshmi Mittal, chairman and CEO of the world's largest steel company, Mittal Steel, and Abdullah S. Jum'ah, president and CEO of Saudi Arabian Oil Co.

On Monday, Russia's Minister of Economic Development and Trade German Gref said he would hold talks with eight countries about the nation's bid join to the World Trade Organization. He also said he would meet with several companies about forming special economic zones within Russia.

"We shall present special economic zones and hold talks on investment in them,'' he told the ITAR-Tass news agency.

A new theme this year will be the role of sports in promoting economic growth and fostering ties between countries. Among those scheduled to attend to discuss sports are FIFA President Joseph Blatter; Jacques Rogge, president of the International Olympic Committee; and David Stern, commissioner of the U.S. National Basketball Association.

The meeting will also feature celebrities, who have come to tout personal causes. Last year, actress Sharon Stone called for the donation of money to pay for pesticide-treated mosquito netting, standing up and donating $250,000.

This year Davos welcomes U2 front man and debt relief advocate Bono; Brazilian literary superstar Paulo Coelho; musician Peter Gabriel; and actress Angelina Jolie, a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.

Adams said the presence of celebrities and sports figures is part of the mix that makes the annual meeting comprehensive.

"The problems that the world faces now are so multidimensional that you need to get people from every single group to try and tackle them,'' he said.

But security for the meeting is a concern. Activists staged protests against the forum around Switzerland this weekend, including a paint bomb attack on the country's national bank in Zurich. Other protests took place in the capital, Bern, and the cities of Basel and Geneva.

Police, augmented by the Swiss military, erected barricades and barbed wire around the Alpine city on today. Police from neighboring Germany have been deployed to keep order, along with private security firms and local officials.

The Swiss government set up a no-fly zone in a 46-kilometer radius around the city, although some attendees will have permission to fly in by helicopter.