FROM THE NATIONAL COUNCIL ON U.S. ARAB RELATIONS

Saudi, GCC Conference Open to All in Washington D.C. Oct. 30-31, 2006;
Prince Turki, Yergin, Other Top Keynote Speakers

WASHINGTON - By popular demand, both days of the 15th Annual Arab U.S. Policymakers Conference of the National Council on US Arab Relations (NCUSAR) on October 30-31, 2006, have been opened to the public. The Ambassador of Saudi Arabia, His Royal Highness Prince Turki Al-Faisal, will be the featured keynote speaker at the first day luncheon.

"It will be first come, first served," said Conference Coordinator Hassan Al-Husseini. "We expect to have a full house with a capacity audience at the Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center in Washington D.C. We recommend early registration by filling out the form in the website www.ncusar.org."

Regular registration by Oct. 25 for both days is $300, but a 50% discount has been offered to academic and government employees, both civilians and military. In addition, students and retirees will be able to attend both days for only $100, a 66% discount. A special corporate rate has been obtained at a nearby hotel.

Included in the fees are all conference sessions, two luncheons and two receptions. PLEASE NOTE: In order to be included on the guest list for the Monday (Oct. 30) evening reception at the Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia, conference registration must be submitted by 5pm EST on Oct. 18. Conference attendees will all receive gift books and publications from the US-Saudi Arabian Business Council and other sponsors. The full registration fee schedule is:

Fill out a registration form and submit it back to the National Council via fax (202-293-7770) or regular mail. The conference registration form is available online: Click Here.

CONFERENCE PROGRAM

The first day of the Conference, Monday Oct. 30, will have the theme of "Taking Stock of the Saudi Arabian U.S. Relationship: Examining the Implications for Interests and Policies." The President of the U.S. Saudi Arabian Business Council, Mr. Edward Burton, will host an afternoon reception at the Ronald Reagan Building that day. This will be followed on Tuesday Oct. 31 by a "Forum on the Future of the Gulf Cooperation Council" to commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the GCC. 

The Conference Program is as follows:

DAY 1: Monday, October 30, 2006

TAKING STOCK OF THE SAUDI ARABIAN-U.S. RELATIONSHIP:
EXAMINING THE IMPLICATIONS FOR INTERESTS & POLICIES

8:15 - 9:00 am � REGISTRATION & COFFEE

9:00 - 9:15 � WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS
Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations

9:15 - 10:30 - TAKING STOCK OF THE SAUDI ARABIAN - U.S. RELATIONSHIP
MODERATOR: Ms. Afnan Al-Shuaiby, Advisor to the President of the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council
H.E. Abdullah Alireza*, Member of the Saudi Arabian Council of Ministers
The Hon. Robert Jordan, Partner, Baker and Botts, and Immediate Past U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia [Represented President George W. Bush 2001-2003]
H.E. Dr. Khalil Al-Khalil*, Member, Majlis ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and Professor at Imam Muhammad ibn Saud Islamic University, Riyadh
Dr. Eleanor Abdella Doumato, Visiting Fellow at the Watson Institute for International Studies, Brown University, Providence, Rhode Island

10:30 - 11:00 - BREAK 

11:00 - 12:30 - REGIONAL STRATEGIC ISSUES: CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES 
MODERATOR: Mr. Jamal Khashoggi, Media Advisor to HRH the Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Dr. Daniel Yergin, Chairman, Cambridge Energy Research Associates; author of The Prize 
H.E. Dr. Bandar Al-Aiban*, Chairman, Foreign Relations Committee, Majlis ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Dr. Rachel Bronson, Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations; and, effective Jan. 1, 2007, Vice President for Programs and Studies, the Chicago Council on Global Affairs; and Author, Thicker than Oil: America�s Uneasy Relationship with Saudi Arabia
Dr. Nahed Taher, Chairman and CEO, GulfOne Bank, Bahrain, and former Chief Economist, Saudi National Commercial Bank; 

12:30-2:00 - LUNCHEON KEYNOTE ADDRESS: VISION FOR THE FUTURE
HRH Prince Turki Al Faisal, Ambassador of Saudi Arabia to the United States of America

2:00-3:30 - THE ENERGY OUTLOOK: INDEPENDENCE OR INTERDEPENDENCE? 
MODERATOR: The Hon. James Schlesinger, former U.S. Secretary of Defense and Energy
The Hon. Samuel Bodman (Invited Guest of Honor), Secretary, U.S. Department of Energy
Mr. Khalid Al-Falih, Senior Vice President & Board Member, Saudi Arabian Oil Co. (Saudi Aramco)
Mr. Stephen D. Pryor, President, ExxonMobil Refining and Marketing 
Mr. Peter J. Robertson, Vice Chairman of the Board, Chevron Corporation 
Mr. John D. Hofmeister, President, Shell Oil Company
Mr. James J. Mulva, Chairman and CEO, ConocoPhillips
Mr. Gary R. Heminger, President, Marathon Petroleum Company

3:45-5:00 - WHAT WENT WRONG, WHAT WENT RIGHT, AND THE WAY FORWARD -- MISTAKES MADE, LESSONS LEARNED 
MODERATOR: The Hon. Walter Cutler, twice former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, represented President Ronald Reagan (1984-86 and 1987-1988) and Immediate Past President, Meridian International, Washington, D.C.
Dr. Mohammed Al-Qunaibet*, Member, Majlis ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
The Hon. Wyche Fowler, Chairman, Middle East Institute, and former U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, represented President Bill Clinton (1996-2001)
H.E. Usamah Al-Kurdi*, Member of the Saudi Arabian Majlis Ash-Shura [National Consultative Council], Riyadh

5:00-6:00 � RECEPTION AT THE RONALD REAGAN BUILDING & INTERNATIONAL TRADE CENTER
Hosted by the U.S.-Saudi Arabian Business Council, Mr. Edward Burton, President & CEO

6:30-8:00 - RECEPTION AT THE ROYAL EMBASSY OF SAUDI ARABIA 
(Registration must be received by 5pm EST on Oct. 18 to be included on the guest list for this reception) 
601 New Hampshire Avenue, Washington, D.C.
Hosted By HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal
Saudi Arabian Ambassador To The United States


DAY 2: Tuesday, October 31, 2006

THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL: 
25 YEARS OF CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS

8:15 - 9:00 am � REGISTRATION & COFFEE

9:00-9:15 - WELCOME & INTRODUCTIONS
Dr. John Duke Anthony, President and CEO, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations 

9:15-10:30 - THE GULF COOPERATION COUNCIL: 25 YEARS OF CHALLENGES AND ACHIEVEMENTS
MODERATOR: Rear Admiral Harold J. Bernsen, Chairman, Board of Directors, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations; former Commander, US Middle East Force; and former President, Physicians for Peace;
MODERATOR: H.E. Shaikh Turky bin Rashid Al-Khalifah, Deputy Chief of Mission, Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain
The Hon. Chas Freeman, President, the Middle East Policy Council, and former Asst. Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, and U.S. Ambassador to Saudi Arabia,
Dr. Kenneth Katzman, Director, Near East Staff, Library of Congress
Dr. Michael Collins Dunn, Editor of The Estimate, and Editor of The Middle East Journal

10:30-11:00 - BREAK

11:00-12:30 - WHAT FUTURE FOR THE GCC REGION? 
MODERATOR: Ms. Anne Joyce, Editor, Middle East Policy
HRH Prince Turki Al-Faisal, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 
Dr. Anthony H. Cordesman, the Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy, Center for Strategic and International Studies 
Dr. Joseph Moynihan, Vice-President, Northrop Grumman and Founding Executive Director, Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research 

12:30-2:00 � LUNCHEON KEYNOTE ADDRESS: A VISION OF THE FUTURE OF THE GCC
HE Nasser bin Hamad bin Mubarak Al Khalifa, Ambassador of the State of Qatar
Lt. Gen. David Barno (USA, Ret.), Director, Center for Near East and South Asian Studies, National Defense University, U.S. Department of Defense 

2:00 - CONFERENCE ADJOURNMENT: Dr. John Duke Anthony

* - Indicates speaker has accepted invitation but travel arrangements are not final

The National Council is a non-profit institution which has organized educational and cultural events over the past 23 years. These include an annual Model Arab League for high school and university students in cities throughout the United States, a visitors program for American professors and others to various Arab countries, internship programs in both Washington D.C. and the Arab world, study abroad opportunities, and various other outreach programs.