Beleaguered US President Bill Clinton has made another videotape recording - this time for Keighley Business Forum (KBF).

President Clinton may be enmeshed in controversy with his videotaped Grand Jury testimony over Monica Lewinsky. But he has still taken time out to film a statement pledging his support to a major trans-Atlantic environmental conference being held by the forum.

In May the Keighley News revealed that President Clinton had been asked to 'open' a twin conference by satellite link between here and Little Rock, Arkansas. the Keighley business community has formed strong links with Little rock and the city forms the power base of President Clinton, a former governor of Arkansas.

This week it was confirmed that despite his troubles President Clinton has prepared the tape. It will be broadcast at the conference being run by Keighley Business Forum on November 10-11 at the Cedar Court Hotel, Bradford.

KBF director Iain Copping confirmed this week: "A video-taped message from President Clinton will be seen at the conference. We don't know its content. It is a tremendous feather in our cap that a conference organised by the KBF should figure on the international stage."

Speaking at the Forum's highly successful One-Stop Business Exhibition on Wednesday and Thursday of this week at Cougar park, Keighley, he added: "The conference is growing in strength. Each day we get confirmation of another major player agreeing to attend."

While the conference is being held in Bradford, a twin event will be held in Little Rock. It is still hoped that US Vice President Al Gore, a passionate environmentalist, will personally address the conference in Little Rock and his message will be broadcast to Bradford by satellite.

Delegates at the Keighley Business Forum event will include Jurgen Schrempp, the chief executive of Daimler Benz. The Government will be represented by John Battle, the Minister for Energy. Other delegates will be attending from Austria, Denmark, France, South Africa and China.

For the last two years the KBF has organised its Northern Environmental Conference (NEC) at Ilkley. But the largest environmental and waste-minimisation event of its kind outside London has outgrown local venues.

The conference is being backed by BT, the Environ-ment Agency, water and electricity companies, the Confed-eration of British Industry and the Government Office.

Mr Copping adds: "It is a shame we have to go outside Keighley, but this high-profile event will really promote Keighley and show what we are doing for the environment."

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