2006-11-22
G8 SUMMIT Blair says leaders ‘hate’ conducting talks behind security cordon
GLENEAGLES, Scotland (AFX) – Leaders of the world’s richest nations ‘hate’ having to conduct their talks behind a security cordon designed to keep out protestors, said Prime Minister Tony Blair. In an interview on Sky News, Blair said most leaders ‘would be happy to be in a modest little place where we can mix with lots of people in a town and be able to meet the people who’s concerns we’re talking about’. Blair was speaking after several hundred protestors broke away from a march and tried to storm the summit venue perimeter fence before being beaten back by police. ‘The problem is you get these small groups of international anarchists who just wreck the place and therefore you have to have the security,’ he said. ’It’s a common myth that the leaders all love the fact that you’ve got to have a fence of steel around us. We hate it. Most of us would prefer to be in a situation where we could engage with people.’ ‘If you were to hold this in Edinburgh, which would have been fantastic, it would have brought the whole city to a halt,’ he added.