February 26,
2004
Consul
General Michael Bates, OBE
Her Majesty's
Consul General, Atlanta
The Executive Lecture Forum audience
got an excellent and clear picture from our speaker,
the veteran diplomat, British Consul General Michael
Bates about the complex international situation. He
started out by emphasizing that U.S. - U. K.
relationship is built on strong ties. "We are
like a family. We take each other for granted at
times, but when the chips are down we are there for
each other," he said. The Consul General
emphasized that our two countries’ relationship is
based on solid foundation. Just to mention a few
examples, Bates told our ELF members that the U.S. is
the number one foreign investor in Britain and trade
flow is around 125 billion dollars each year both
ways. Politically, he believes, his country can ease
the tension between the U.S. and the European Union,
and Great Britain can be the bridge between the two
sites of the Atlantic Alliance. He spoke frankly about
the war in Iraq. He stated without hesitancy that the
Iraqi war was justified, the United States and Great
Britain acted rightly. He emphasized that his Prime
Minister, Tony Blair took a courageous decision by
joining the U.S. in the liberation of Iraq. It was a
real gamble, he said, but the gamble has paid off. But
he warned that the United States and its allies must
act with great care to establish a democratic
government in Iraq. We should not impose a government.
We should only assist our friends in Iraq to find the
right way.
