Editorial
Cooperation sets stage for useful ADB meeting

The agreement between the city and the American Civil Liberties Union should go a long way toward enhancing everyone's hopes, however divergent, for next week's Asian Development Bank conference at the Hawai'i Convention Center.

The city had wanted restrictions that would have made it easier to maintain order; the ADB opponents wanted to maximize their media exposure and their contact with the delegates to the meeting.

The compromise reached should make both sides happy — as long as they do not forget the conditions to which they compromised.

In truth, we've long believed that the opposing sides have more in common than they suppose. Virtually all of the participants want a better life for the countries the ADB serves. For its part, the ADB realizes it must reform.

What the ADB meeting requires is active listening by all concerned. Given that, we expect no one to walk away from it disappointed.