Bilderberg 2010
Bilderbergers do determine policy for the coming year (2 - english)

Former Secretary-general of NATO confesses

4 June 2010

A transcript of the 'interview' that Koen Fillet of VRT Radio 1 had with the former Secretary-general of NATO, Willy Claes.

Introduction (Koen Filet): The best secured place in the world at this moment is probably hotel "Dolces" in the Spanish city of Sitges. In that hotel Dolces the Bilderberg Group are gathering since yesterday, Thursday. The Bilderberg Group, ladies and gentleman, is a club of the most powerful people in the world. And in general all that has to do with the Bilderberg Group is a secret: where they gather - even though that has come out now - who is invited, what is being discussed, well, you can not say anything sensible about it, yet that is what I shall try now on the radio.

KF: Good evening, Willy Claes

Willy Claes: Good evening

KF: Mister Claes I am calling you because, not even so long ago, you were one of that club of the 'powers that be', right?

WC: I have been invited twice, and that was in the period that I was Secretary-general of NATO, yes.

KF: Yes, and that brings us right to where we want to go, because isn't that the origin of this Bilderberg Group, the Cold War, the battle...

WC: Absolutely. Yes, this Bilderberg conference was indeed founded, so to speak, to strengthen the alliance between the two sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and to keep it strong in the face of the Communist danger that was threatening us from the Soviet Union and the Soviet block, yes.

KF: And that might explain all this secrecy, all this covertness surrounding it?

WC: Yes, absolutely. Moscow was listening, ... was listening in and they didn't deem it necessary to go public with this exchange of ideas, as that wasn't allowed.

KF: I have been told that members of the press are invited, but that they, even those journalists, have to promise they will not write about it

WC: That's right. The Bilderberg conference invites people who are very influential, who do not only belong to the world of politics, but also to the financial, economical world and - why not? - to the world of communication.

KF: That is very much against the character of journalism, I must say.

WC: Yes, but still it is so. I think I do remember though an ... American journalist being there...

KF: (interrupts) ah so no Belgians...

WC: Nooonono, absolutely not.

KF: Few Belgians go there huh, and as I said earlier in my introduction: "everything's a secret". But then it is leaked that [crown]prince Filip en Luc Coenen [Belgian National Bank] will be attending, as is of course Etienne Davignon, as I believe he is the chairman

WC: I can not inform you about the possible attendance of prince Filip and Luc Coenen, but there can be no doubt about the presence of two persons, and that is Davignon, as you mentioned, and also Henry Kissinger, those two are the main pillars around whom the whole Bilderberg conference revolves. Others you can regular see there are de queen of the Netherlands and the king of Spain.

KF: And what do they, I know you are not allowed to say anything about it, but I will ask anyway: what do they talk about?

WC: Well look, it's not all that secret really. There is an agenda for the day with the most pressing problems the world is confronted with... that is discussed... and that discussion is held very disciplined. There is a rapporteur who has been appointed in advance and who gets ten minutes to do an introduction. The interventions are also strictly limited. Whether it's Kissinger or someone else; he'll be blocked when he exceed his time limit. But these are very important issues.

KF: Tell me, mister Claes, what happens after everyone has had his ten minutes? Is there a vote? Are decisions being made?

WC: Nooonono, there is never a vote, no resolutions are being put to paper ...

KF: ... What is...?

WC: ... but naturally... the rapporteur always tries to draw up a synthesis, and everyone is assumed to make use of these conclusions in the circles where he has influence

KF: And you as Secretary-general of NATO are used to something, but this must be very luxurious and under incredible safety measures?

WC: Safety measures yes, but luxury, no. To lift a bit of the veil: there is another aspect to the code that has to be respected. At every meal the partners will have to be seated next to different partners. So there has to be a genuine exchange of ideas ... talking to the same ones all the times is not allowed, and so ... there's changes at every meal.

KF: Is that perhaps also to prevent wrong impressions from being made ... that coalitions and sub-meetings emerge?

WC: I don't know that. I think that it's simply meant to make sure that there is a genuine flow of different and even contradicting opinions.

KF: The Bilderberg Group, gathering since yesterday in the Spanish town of Sitges. It is said that the meeting will last until Sunday, but we do not really know, do we mister Claes, as it is all so secretive and covert?

WC: I can not tell you how long the meeting will last.

KF: But thanks anyway for lifting a few of the veils

WC: It's my pleasure.

***

Translation: Arjan Plantinga

Listen to the radio interview (the Bilderberg item starts a quarter into the podcast).
Read the original transcript in Dutch