Bill Clinton urges for action

Former US President Clinton asked an audience of Canadian business executives to help end child poverty and terrorism by embracing the outside world and its many religions.

Clinton named global warming as another looming threat to the planet and called on the audience to demand that their government explore more alternative energy sources.

"We insist on not changing our ways, in spite of playing Russian roulette with our grandchildren's future," he told some 8,500 people attending "The Power Within" motivational conference in downtown Toronto.

The audience of mostly business executives paid $335 to $1,100 to hear the 42nd U.S. president speak.

"I hope to help create more of a global conscience - a shared consensus about the challenges we share going forward into the future," he told the group.

Clinton, appearing tired and occasionally clearing his throat, was on his second of a three-day Canadian tour. He spoke about the prickly U.S.-Canadian relations and their trade disputes at a sold-out hockey arena on Monday night and was to address some 4,000 people at a similar motivational convention in Calgary on Wednesday.

Earlier in the day, Clinton spoke via satellite to some 1,200 European business leaders in London, urging them to help political leaders worldwide to ensure a smooth transition to democracy in Iraq.

Clinton told the predominantly white audience they must reach out to other races, ethnic groups and religions. He said terrorists would continue to be fueled by fear and resentment that better opportunities were closed off to them.

Since leaving office in 2001, the former president has raised millions through the Clinton Foundation to support his mission of global interdependence and the defeat of child poverty, AIDS and terrorism, the AP reports.

V.Y.