>> 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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