Federal Reserve Board Chairman Ben S. Bernanke told a delegation of the CFO Forum, which gave him an award for his contribution to the Israeli economy, that he would like to visit Israel.
The delegation was headed by CFO Forum president Noga Kainan.
In explaining the award, the CFO Forum said that Israel's economy was dependent on the global economy, and that the global economy was dependent on the US economy. The delegation said that there was no dispute that Bernanke made a significant contribution to the rescue of the US economy from the severe recession in which it was mired, and he therefore made an important, albeit, indirect contribution to the Israeli economy.
Bernanke told the delegation that he was optimistic about the crisis in Europe. He said that the crisis was beginning to stabilize and that it was under control. He said that it was hard to see how it could affect the US economy.
Bernanke also praised the Israeli economy and its government's ability to narrow the deficit and national debt. He said that it should continue to do so.
Bernanke said that he wanted to make another visit to Israel, as part of a regional tour. Although he has made several previous trips to Israel, he has not done so since becoming chairman of the Fed. He added that he was quite fluent in Hebrew.
Bernanke related that, two weeks ago, he visited China, and that Minister of Commerce Chen Deming told him that China was very pleased by its trade relations with Israel and that she plans to expand them. Bernanke said that when he passed through the Beijing Airport, he was pleased to see an El Al plane. "I didn’t know you flew to China," he said.
Published by Globes [online], Israel business news - www.globes-online.com - on June 9, 2010
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