The Munich Conference on Security Policy can look back on a tradition of almost four decades. The international security community - ministers, representatives of the armed forces, members of parliament, journalists and experts, now from more than 40 countries - has met in Munich since the beginning of the 1960s. Each year, some 250 participants discuss in depth their views on the development of transatlantic relations as well as European and global security.

This international conference is a unique forum for discussions on security and peace policy. At the beginning of the 21st century with its global challenges, the conference makes important contributions to the shape of the future international security architecture. The Security Conference in Munich is for the representatives of the strategic community what the World Economic Forum in Davos is for the leading representatives of the international business community: a contact exchange and an open forum for discussions in one - both at the highest level.

Upon the proposal of the Federal Chancellor, Dr. Helmut Kohl, I took over the chair of the Munich Conference on Security Policy from my predecessor, the conference's founder Ewald von Kleist. With the financial support of the Federal Government under Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder, I have developed the conference and considered new ideas. For me, it was important to maintain and continue the good traditions, for example, the principle of non-partisanship or the strong participation of our American partners.

At the same time, I have introduced a number of major innovations. These include the opening of the conference for our partners in Central and Eastern Europe and the participation of larger numbers of high-ranking representatives of the business community.

However, the most significant innovation is the extension of the European and transatlantic perspective to a global view of peace and security policy. I am convinced that security policy in the age of globalisation also has to be discussed globally in order to cover equally all the world's regions with their security problems and crisis potentials.

The official homepage of the Munich Conference on Security has been completely updated. With its new design and contents, it replaces and complements the books published to date. Photo galleries on each event, an archive with all the data available on past conferences, as well as complete documentation on the last conference, can now be called up like the preview of the coming event. Moreover, the homepage is user-friendly.

I wish the relaunch of our homepage every success and hope visitors quickly find the information they require.