Middle East Officials and Dignitaries to Address Conference

Washington, DC (October 17, 2007) – The Middle East Institute holds its 62nd Annual Conference November 20-21, 2008 at the National Press Club in Washington, DC. Prominent speakers will analyze the threats and challenges facing US policy toward the Middle East.

Anwar Mohammed Gargash, Minister of State for Foreign Affairs of United Arab Emirates and US Senator Chuck Hagel will address the Annual Conference Welcome Banquet on Thursday, November 20 at 7 pm.

Zalmay Khalilzad, US Permanent Representative to the United Nations will deliver the keynote address to open the all-day conference on Friday, November 21 at 9 am.

The conference also features Aitzaz Ahsan, President of Pakistan's Supreme Court Bar Association who led last year's protests against the dismissal of the judiciary. He will look at the challenges facing democratic reforms in Pakistan. Nabil Ali Alyousuf, Director General of the Executive Office of the Ruler of Dubai and Nasser Al Saidi, Chief Economist of Dubai's International Financial Center Authority will focus on economic developments in the Gulf region.

Conference panels will focus on : What constitutes victory in Afghanistan and Pakistan; The future of US-Egyptian relations; Economic and political developments in the Gulf; and restoring America's credibility in the region. MEI brings together leading dignitaries, writers and authors from the Middle East, U and Europe who offer fresh voices to the debate over Middle East policies.

Panelists include Amer Awadh Al Rawas, Managing Director of Oman Mobile; Shuja Nawaz, Strategic analyst and author; Francis Ricciardone, former US Ambassador to Egypt; Ibrahim Helal, Deputy Managing Director of Al-Jazeera English; Bruce Riedel, of Brookings Institution ; David Ignatius, Washington Post columnist; Ron Suskind, Author and journalist; Peter Bergen of New America Foundation; Max Rodenback, The Economist's Chief Middle East Correspondent; Amr Hamzawy of Carnegie Endowment for International Peace; Graeme Bannerman, MEI Adjunct Scholar

For more information on panels and speakers:http://www.mideasti.org/conference/2008-annual-conference. Media admission is free. Please email name and affiliation to RSVP@mideasti.org For more details, contact MEI Communications 202-785-5336 or email: media@mideasti.org