02.12.2008
Doha, 14 April 2008 – Hassan Ali Bin Ali, the Chairman of the Doha 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Bid Committee, has welcomed the start of the eighth Doha Forum on Democracy, Development & Free Trade.
Mr Hassan said: “Holding this forum in Doha demonstrates that Qatar is at the forefront of progression and change in the Middle East.”
He added: “The Olympic ideals facilitate changes in attitudes, perceptions and people’s lives. Awarding Doha the 2016 Games would unleash the power of the Olympic Movement and sport to create understanding, hope and change that could unite the entire region with the rest of the world.”
The conference will discuss a variety of issues such as inter-faith dialogues, reforms in the UN, democratic projects in the Arab World, the Western stand on democracy in developing countries and the role of Islamic movements. It has been organised under the auspices of His Highness Sheikh Hamad Bin Khalifa Al Thani, the Amir of the State of Qatar and is coordinated by the Gulf Center for Studies, Qatari Businessmen Association and Qatar University.
Prominent delegates and speakers to the Forum include HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor al-Thani, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan and European Parliament president Hans-Gert Pottering. Panelists include former prime minister of France, Dominique De Villepin, former US defence secretary William Cohen and French Socialist Party leader Segolene Royal.
“Our Olympic Bid is part of a wider process of transforming Doha into a world-class city, with first class business, technology and sports facilities. Hosting the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Doha in 2016 would bring the Olympic flame to the Arabic-speaking world for the first time, extending the Olympic ideals to millions of new hearts and minds,” said the Bid Chairman.