Prague, 5 September 1997 (RFE/RL) -- Elie Wiesel expressed satisfaction today with the Forum 2000 conference, saying that he is pleased that the gathering so far has consisted of real discussions and not mere monologues.
Wiesel, a co-organizer of the conference, told RFE/RL that his only regret is that the invited speakers to the three-day Prague conference on mankind's future have not stuck to the the assigned topics. Wiesel noted that the first day was filled with observations about the future, while today's discussions were largely devoted to past experience. The conference's formal agenda had called for exactly the opposite.
Wiesel said that Forum 2000, which concludes tomorrow, should serve as an introduction to a series of five future conferences he is planning. He said each of these gatherings will be built around a specific topic and will bring together specialists as well as generalists.
Wiesel also said an effort will be made to bring more women to the next gathering. He noted that many women had been invited to Forum 2000. But due to the fact that many of them are academics, the timing this year made their attendance difficult.