UMaine to Co-Host Conference on Private Sector Business in Iraq; Speakers to Include Key Members of Iraqi Governing Council and Weinberger
Contact: Media contact: Joe Carr at (207) 581-3571
ORONO, Me. — An examination of business opportunities in a rebuilding, post-war Iraq will highlight the agenda of a Nov. 13 conference, “Doing Business in Iraq: the Private Sector.” The conference, which will be held at Black Point Inn in Scarborough, Me., is co-sponsored by the University of Maine College of Business, Public Policy and Health, the college’s William S. Cohen Center for International Policy and Commerce and the U.S.-Iraq Business Alliance.
The latter organization, which includes representation from some 40 Fortune 500 companies, works to foster private sector investment in the reconstruction of Iraq and to promote trade between Iraq and the U.S.
The Nov. 13 conference will be the first of the business school’s annual Global Focus Series, which will promote high-level discussion of pertinent issues related to international business.
“Now that the war is over and the Iraqi people are beginning to look toward a promising and prosperous economic future, this conference will be both timely and significant,” says Daniel Innis, dean of the college. “There is a tremendous amount of work involved in helping Iraq rebuild its infrastructure and its economy. Through the discussions that we will have in November, we will help to identify the role that U.S. business interests can play in shaping Iraq’s future.”
Some 75-100 people are expected to attend the conference, which is aimed at business leaders from throughout the eastern U.S.
Dennis Sokol, chair of the American Hospital Group and chair of the Executive Committee of the U.S.-Iraq Business Alliance played a key role in organizing the conference.
“Business opportunities abound in Iraq,” says Sokol, who recently returned from meetings in that country. “The time is right for major U.S. businesses to meet in one place to gain access to the most current information and thinking about ways in which the private sector can help Iraq rebuild while developing new business opportunities.”
The program for the conference is in the final stages of development, but former U.S. Defense Secretary and U.S. Health, Education and Welfare Secretary Caspar Weinberger is confirmed as the lunchtime speaker. Two key members of the Iraqi Governing Council, Raja al-Khuzaai and Mahmoud Othman, will be featured as the evening keynote speakers. Othman, who has held various posts representing the Kurd ethnic group and al-Khuzaai, a Shia southern tribal leader who runs a maternity hospital in southern Iraq, will talk about the governing council, its role and the progress it is making in the effort to rebuild Iraq.
Other speakers will include John Shaw, deputy undersecretary of defense for international security, U.S. Defense Department; former Ambassador William Walker, who has served as a senior diplomat with the U.S. State Department; James Burrows, executive director of the U.S.-Iraq Business Alliance; Don DeMarino, chair of the National U.S. Arab Chamber of Commerce; Richard Greco Jr., special assistant to the secretary of defense for special projects, Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance, U.S. Defense Department; and Ross Connelly, executive vice president and chief operating officer of the Overseas Private Investment Corp. (OPIC).
Subjects to be covered in discussions include infrastructure development opportunities in Iraq, privatization of the Iraqi oil sector, security, understanding the contracting process and dialogue on the priority sectors for development in Iraq.
“We envision a day that features the sharing of expertise and experience in these areas and more,” Innis says. “The opportunities are there and we are excited about taking a leading role in facilitating discussions that will serve to benefit the people of Iraq, the business climate in Iraq and U.S. business interests well into the future. A prosperous Iraq with a strong business environment is critical to stability in the Middle East.”
For registration information, call the College of Business, Public Policy and Health at (207) 581-1968. The conference registration fee will be $850. Proceeds will support the college’s activities and help to defray the costs for planning future presentations in the Global Focus Series.