Saturday, September 16, 2006

While Iraq burns Iraq's President hangs out in Aspen

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani discussed his war-torn nation's future with poised optimism at a private conference here for the rich, powerful and famous.

The Forstmann Little conference is an annual affair that draws titans of industry, politicians, four-star generals, sports stars and A-list celebrities. It is an offshoot of Forstmann Little and Co., an investment firm in New York, founded by Ted Forstmann who sold his Aspen-area home earlier this year.

Talabani flew into Grand Junction's Walker Field on a 757 jet at about 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, according to KREX-TV. From there, a motorcade consisting of more than 15 vehicles and an ambulance wheeled the president to Aspen, where it was spotted driving through the Roaring Fork Valley approximately two hours later.

Aspen is crawling with Secret Service agents -- a ResortQuest employee said 26 Aspen properties were booked for 38 agents through his agency -- as well as sniper teams, and other heavily armed forces, law enforcement officers said.

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