Politicians from around the globe are flocking to this year’s Democratic and Republican conventions — to check out the action, see where U.S. foreign policy is headed and maybe influence the candidates’ views.
“We’re concerned about the rise of China. We understand America has commercial interests in China. But don’t sell us out,” Bi-Khim Hsiao, vice president of a Taiwanese political party and former member of Taiwan’s parliament said Sunday as activities began in Denver. “Don’t sell out democracy.”
Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s nomination in Denver appears to be the bigger draw. Some 500 diplomats, lawmakers, heads of government, ministers and party officials from 107 countries are arriving in Denver, coordinators with the National Democratic Institute said Sunday.
Affiliated with the Democratic Party, NDI hosts foreign dignitaries and holds forums at conventions as part of its mission of encouraging democracy.
“It is unprecedented interest,” NDI president Ken Wollack said. “There’s this sense of newness, of something that is different… It’s a new period in America’s relationships with the rest of the world.”
The list of foreign dignitaries headed to the Republican convention includes at least 150 ex-leaders, party officials and others, said Trygve Olson, a former McCain staffer charged with organizing international activities at the convention.
McCain “has a long track record” as a lawmaker engaged in global affairs, Olson said. As director of the International Republican Institute, NDI’s Republican counterpart, McCain traveled often to promote democracy “in places like central and eastern Europe when they were struggling to be democratic.”
Obama’s recent swing through the Middle East and Europe drew wide attention including a speech in Berlin that drew tens of thousands.
“America is still looked to for leadership despite its diminished stature,” said convention delegate Christine Schon Marques, an American living in Switzerland who chairs the delegation representing Democrats abroad.
Convention organizers set up waiting lists for foreign officials seeking hotel space in the Denver area and Minneapolis-St. Paul, site of the GOP convention.
At least 100 foreign ambassadors came to Denver from embassies in Washington, D.C., convention organizers said. Sunday evening, former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright hosted them at the first of several forums for sharing ideas.
“Welcome to my hometown, which is truly an internationally minded place,” Albright said.
The U.S. political battle pits a John McCain campaign emphasizing courage, patriotism and honor against an Barack Obama campaign rooted in hope, she said. For the 44th time, there should be a peaceful transfer of power. Bruce Finley, The Denver Post
Among some 500 foreign dignitaries in Denver for the convention:
Prime Minister Navinchandra Ramgoolam of Mauritius
Lord John Alderdice, former speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly
Brigitte Zypries, German minister of justice
Heraldo Munoz, Chilean ambassador to the UN
Foreign Minister Tidiane Gadio of Senegal
Dimeji Bankole, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Nigeria
Nassib Lahoud, minister of state, Lebanon
Abdul-Karim Al Eryani, former prime minister and presidential advisor, Yemen
Falah Bakir, Office of Foreign Relations, Kurdistan
Ricardo Lagos, former president of Chile
Kjell Magne Bondevik, former prime minister of Norway
Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland
Alejandro Toledo, former president of Peru
Abdul Karim Al Eryani, former prime minister of Yemen
Zlatko Lagumdzija, former prime minister of Bosnia-Herzegovina
Kim Campbell, former prime minister of Canada
