Mancham to take part in Qatari-American conference on free markets and democracy

22.03.2005

Former President James R. Mancham has accepted an invitation of the Islamic Free Market Institute of Washington, DC to participate at the 5th Annual Qatari-American Conference on Free Markets and Democracy.
 
This year’s conference, which is to be held in Doha, Qatar on March 29 -30, is sponsored by the Islamic Free Market Institute Foundation, the Council of Foreign Relations, the University of Qatar and the Qatari Chamber of Commerce.

Previous Conferences have been co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, National Democratic Institute, the International Republican Institute, Council of Foreign Relations, Freedom House, University of Qatar and the Qatari Chamber of Commerce.

The Conference, which was established five years ago through the efforts of the Islamic Free Market Institute Foundation, has been attended by outstanding political, economic and academic participants from more than 25 Nations. In fact over 40 members of the US Congress and Parliamentarians from U.K. and France have attended.

In a statement issued on Monday morning, President Mancham said he felt “proud and privileged to have been invited to participate in this important conference”.

“This is a time of intense interest in the Middle East for the United States and the international community. Many challenges exist in the region due to its complex set of issues and circumstances. Yet, excellent opportunities also exist for cooperation and understanding between America, the Middle East and the Muslim world,” Mr Mancham said in the statement.

Qatar is a leader in the implementation of democracy and free trade principles in the Middle East. Over the years, the people of Qatar have enjoyed the peace and prosperity resulting from efforts to continually modernize and liberalize the country’s economic and political regimes. Qatar is host to the U.S. Central Command at Camp As-Sayliyah and has been a supportive and consistent ally of the United States.