>> The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton
>> Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani
>> Ron Burkle, Managing Partner
>> General Anthony Zinni
>> H.E. Mr. Abdulla Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah
>> Steven L. Spiegel

 

 

The Honorable William Jefferson Clinton

42nd President of the United States

William Jefferson Clinton was elected President of the United States in 1992, and again in 1996- the first Democratic president to be awarded a second term in six decades. Under this leadership, the United States enjoyed the strongest economy in generation and the longest economic expansion in U.S history. President Clinton’s core values of building community, creating opportunity, and demanding responsibility resulted in unprecedented progress for America, Including moving the nation from record deficits to record surpluses; the creation of over22 million jobs-more than any other administration; low levels of unemployment, poverty and crimes; and the highest homeownership and college enrollment rates in history.

His accomplishments as president include increasing investment in education, providing tax relief for working families, helping millions of American move from welfare to work, expanding access to technology, and encouraging investment in underserved communities, protecting the environment, countering the threat of terrorism and promoting peace and strengthening democracy around the world. President Clinton previously served as the Governor of Arkansas, Chairman of the National Governors’ Association and Attorney General of Arkansas. As former chairman of the Democratic Leadership Council, he is one of the original architects and leading advocates of the Third Way movement.

President Clinton established the William J. Clinton Foundation www.clintonfoundation.org to construct and endow the Clinton Presidential center and to strengthen the capacity of people in the United States and throughout the world to meet the challenges of global independence. To advance this mission, the Foundation is focused on the four critical areas: Health security, with an emphasis on HIV/AIDS; economic empowerment; leadership development and citizen service; and racial, ethnic and religious reconciliation. The Clinton Presidential Center, which is comprise of the library, the archives, Foundation offices and the Clinton School of Public Service, opened in Little Rock, Arkansas on November 18, 2004. To date, more than 200,000 people from around the country and the world have visited the center, which has also helped promote $1 billion of development in the community.

The Clinton Foundation works through partnerships with like-minded individuals, organizations, business and governments that share its mission. For example, President Clinton serves as Honorary Co-Chair of the Club of Madrid, an organization decided to strengthening the democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experiences and resources of former heads of state and government of democratic nations.

The Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative aims to assist countries in implementing large-scale, integrated, care, treatment and prevention programs that will turn the tide on the epidemic. It partners with countries in Africa, the Caribbean and Asia to develop operational business plans to scale-up care and treatment.

The Foundation works with individual governments and provides them with technical assistance, human and financial resources, and know-how from the sharing of the best practices across projects. The ultimate objective in each of these countries is to scale up public health systems to ensure broad access to high-quality care treatment. The initiative’s long-term goal is to develop replicable models for the scale-up of integrated programs in resource-poor settings.

To accomplish this goal, the Initiative introduces business-based procedures to HIV/AIDS care and treatment system to improve various conditions including drug storage, tracking and distribution; program management; and information sharing. The Initiative has recruited experts with experience in business, logistics, HIV/AIDS clinical care and public health to provide technical assistance in each country.

In April 2005, the Clinton Foundation HIV/AIDS Initiative expanded its programs and launched its new Pediatric and Rural Initiatives to provide HIV/AIDS medications to children and person in rural areas, those often forgotten in the battle against HIV/AIDS. Though AIDS care and treatment is now finally taking off in the developing world, the focus thus far has been mainly on adults and on people living in cities and towns. These initiatives aim to make a significant difference in the battle against AIDS in children and in rural areas.

For his work on HIV/AIDS, President Clinton was honored with the Jimmy and Rosalynn Carter Award for Humanitarian Contributions to the Health of Humankind from the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases and the 2005 Pasteur Foundation Award.

In the wake of the devastating earthquake that struck Gujarat, India, President Clinton helped found the American India Foundation, which is dedicated to accelerating social and economic change in India by connecting communities and resources across the US and India. In addition, President Clinton served as Co-Chair of the Families of Freedom Fund with Senator Bob Dole, which raised more than $100 million in scholarship money for families of those killed or injured on 9/11.

More recently, after the December 26, 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami, President George W. Bush asked President Clinton and President George H.W Bush to lead a nationwide fundraising effort to help bring much-needed relief to the victims of this disaster. Besides doing a number of public service announcements and media and public appearances to focus attention on this cause, the Former president traveled to Asia in February 2005 to witness the effects of the tsunami and the reconstruction efforts firsthand.

In March 2005, President Clinton was named Special Envoy for Tsunami Recovery by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.

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Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani

His Excellency Sheikh Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jabr Al-Thani is the first Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Qatar

Biography

Date of Birth: 1959

Political Career

  • 1982-1989, Director of the Office of the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture.
  • 18-7-1989, appointed Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture
  • 14-5-1990, appointed Deputy Minister of Electricity and Water for two years alongside with his post as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture.
  • Supervised several successful projects and developed the agricultural sector.
  • Held the following posts in addition to his position as Minister of Municipal Affairs and Agriculture and Deputy Minister of Electricity and Water.
  • Chairman of Qatar Electricity and Water Company
  • President of the Central Municipal Council
  • Director of the Special Emir Project Office
  • Member of Qatar Petroleum Board of Directors
  • Member of the Supreme Council for Planning
  • 1-9-1992, appointed Minister of Foreign Affairs
  • Kept his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs in the subsequent ministerial reshuffles in July 1995, October 1996 and January 1999.
  • On Sept 16, 2003, he was appointed as first Deputy Prime Minister while retaining his position as Minister of Foreign Affairs.

Other Key Positions

  • Member of the Supreme Defense Council, Which was established in 1996.
  • Head of Qatar’s Permanent Committee for the Support of Al Quds, which was formed in 1998.
  • Member of the Permanent Constitution Committee Formed in 1999.
  • Member of the Ruling Family Council established in 2000.
  • Member of the Supreme Council for the Investment of the Reserves of the State, which was established in 2000.

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The Yucaipa Companies

Ron Burkle, Managing Partner

Ron Burkle founded the Yucaipa Companies in 1986 and is widely recognized as one of the preeminent investors in the retail, manufacturing and distribution industries. Ron has served as Chairman of the Board and controlling shareholder of numerous companies including Alliance Entertainment, Golden State Foods, Dominick’s, Fred Meyer, Ralph’s and Food4less. He is currently a member of the board of Occidental Petroleum Corporation (NYSE:OXY), KB Home (NYSE:KBH) and Yahoo! International Relations at UCLA and is broadly involved in the community. He is a trustee of the J. Paul Getty Trust, the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Carter Center, the National Urban League and AIDS Project Los Angeles (APLA). Ron was the founder and Chairman of the Ralphs/Food4less Foundation and the Fred Meyer Inc. Foundation. Ron has received numerous honors and awards including the AFL-CIO’s Murray Green Meany Kirkland Community Service Award, the Los Angeles County Federation of Labor Man of the Year, the Los Angeles County Boy Scouts Jimmy Stewart Person of the Year Award and the APLA Commitment to Life Award.

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General Anthony Zinni (Ret. USMC)

President, UCLA’s Center for Middle East Development

General Zinni joined the Marine Corps in 1961 and was commissioned an infantry second lieutenant in 1965 upon graduation from Villanova University. He has held numerous command and staff assignments that include platoon, company, battalion, regimental, Marine expeditionary unit, and Marine expeditionary forced command. His staff assignments included service in operations, training, special operations, counter-terrorism and manpower billets. He has also been a tactics and operation instructor at several Marine Corps Schools and was selected as a fellow on the Chief of Naval Operations Strategic Studies Group. General Zinni’s joint assignments include command of a joint task force and a unified command. He has also had several joint and combined staff billets at task force and unified command levels.

His military service has taken him to over 70 countries including deployments to the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, the Western Pacific, Northern Europe and Korea. He has also served tours in Okinawa and Germany. His operational experiences include two tours in Vietnam, emergency relief and security operations in the Philippines, Operation Provide Comfort in Turkey and northern Iraq, Operation Provide Hope in the former Soviet Union, Operations restore Hope, Continue Hope, and United Shield in Somalia, Operations Resolute Response and Noble Response in Kenya, Operation Desert Thunder, Desert Fox, Desert Viper, Desert Spring, Southern Watch and the Maritime Intercept Operations in the Persian Gulf, and Operation Infinite Reach against terrorist targets in the Central Region. He was involved in the planning and execution of Operation Proven Force and Operation Patriot Defender in support of the Gulf War and noncombatant evacuation operations in Liberia, Zaire, Sierra Leone, and Ethiopia-Eritrea and State Department missions involving the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts in Indonesia and the Philippines.

He has attended numerous military schools and courses including the Army Special Warfare School, The Marine Corps Amphibious Warfare School, the Marine Corps Command and Staff College, and National War College. He holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from Villanova University, a master’s in international relations from Salvae Regina College, a master’s in management and supervision from Central Michigan University, and honorary doctorate’s from William and Mary College and the Maine Maritime Academy.

General Zinni’s award include the defense Distinguished Service Medal with oak leaf cluster; the Distinguished Service Medal; the Defense Superior Service Medal with two oak leaf clusters, the bronze Star with Combat “V” and gold star, the Purple Heart; the Meritorious Service Medal with gold Star, the Navy Commendation Medal with Combat “V” and gold star; the Navy Achievement Medal with Gold star; the Combat Action Ribbon; and personal decorations from South  Vietnam, France, Italy, Egypt, Kuwait, Yemen, and Bahrain, He also holds 36 unit, service, and campaign awards. His civilian awards include the papal Gold Cross of Honor, the Union League’s Abraham Lincoln Award, the Italic Studies Institute’s Global Peace  Award, the Distinguished Sea Service Award from the Naval Order of the United States, the Eisenhower Distinguished Service award from the Veterans of Foreign Wars, The Chapman Award from the Marine Corps University Foundation, the Penn Club Award, the Marconi Award from the Order Sons of Italy of America, the St. Thomas of Villanova Alumni Medal, the George P. Shultz Award for Public Service from the U.S State Department, and the UNICO Grand Patriot Award.

He currently holds positions on several boards of directors and advisors of major U.S companies and non-profit organizations. In addition he has held academic positions that include the Stanley Chair in Ethics at the Virginia Military Institute, the Nimitz Chair at the University of California Berkeley, the Hofheimer Chair at the Joint Forces Staff College, the Harriman Professor of Government appointment and membership on the board of the  Reves Center for International Studies at the College of William and Mary, the board of  Villanova University’s Center for Responsible Leadership and Governance, and the Weissberg Chair in International Studies at Beloit College. He has worked with the University of California’s  Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, the U.S Institute of Peace, and the Henri Dunant Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue in Geneva. He is President of UCLA’s Center for Middle East Development, He is also a Distinguished Advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, an Honorary Fellow at the foreign Policy Association, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. He has also been appointed by the Governor as a member of the Virginia Commission on Military Bases.

General Zinni has co- authored a New York Times Best Seller book on his career with Tom Clancy entitled “Battle Ready”.

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H.E. Mr. Abdulla Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah

Second Deputy Premier

Minister of Energy and Industry, Sate of Qatar

Chairman of the Board and Managing Director, Qatar

Petroleum

H.E Abdulla Bin Hamad Al-Attiyah was born in 1952. He earned a bachelor degree from the University of Alexandria, Egypt in 1976. In 1972, he worked in the Ministry of Finance and Petroleum. From 1973-1986, he was the head of the Department of International and Public Affairs at the Ministry of Finance and Petroleum. He was director of the office of the Minister of Finance and Petroleum from 1986-1989. From 1989-1992 he was Director of the Office of the Minister of Interior and the Acting Minister of Finance and Petroleum. From 1987-1995, he was Deputy Chairman of Q-Tel, In September 1992, He was appointed Minister of Energy and Industry and Director of the Qatar Petrol Company. In 1975, he was Director of the Gulf Helicopters Corporation and in 1986, a member of the Directors Board of Gulf Airways Corporation, In January 1999, he became Minister of Energy, Industry, Water and Electricity. On Sept 16, 2003, he was appointed as Second Deputy Prime Minister while retaining his position as Minister of Energy and Industry. Other activities include: Head of Al-Saad Sport Club, Head of the Association of Radio Fans, and Head of the Development and Economization Association. His hobbies include reading, fishing and radio communications.

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Steven L. Spiegel

UCLA Professor of Political Science

Director of the Middle East Regional Security Program at

UCLA’s Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations.

Steven L. Spiegel, Professor of Political Science at UCLA, is among the world’s foremost experts on American foreign policy in the Middle East. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1967, having joined the UCLA faculty the previous year.

During this time he has written over 100 books, articles and papers, Professor Spiegel is also the author of a major international relations textbook, World Politics in a New Era, and he currently supervises a team preparing the fourth edition. He is presently at work on a book in American record in the Middle East. Professor Spiegel serves as Director of the Middle East Regional Security Program at UCLA’s Ronald W. Burkle Center for International Relations, and also provides assistance to Middle East programs at the statewide Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation of the University of California, San Diego.

Through the innovative and informal negotiation techniques he has developed in these capacities, Dr. Spiegel helps produce cutting edge ideas for promoting Middle East regional security and cooperation. For this work, he received the Karpf Peace Prize in 1995, awarded to the UCLA professor considered to have done the most of any faculty member for the cause of world peace in the previous two years.

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