This year's conference is sponsored by the Islamic Free Market Institute Foundation, the Council on Foreign Relations, the Qatari Chamber of Commerce and the University of Qatar.
The event will be held in Doha , Qatar at the Ritz Carlton on March 29-30 2005.
During the four previous conferences, more than 40 U.S. Members of Congress have participated

Qatar has the largest pre-positioning of U.S. military equipment in the world and is home base to U.S. Central Command.

Some attendies have met with Tommy Franks and more recently, his replacement, John Abizaid.

Qatar and the U.S. have signed a number of agreements expanding defense, commercial and cultural ties.

Fifth Annual Qatar-American Conference for Free Markets & Democracy

Previous conferences have been co-sponsored by the Heritage Foundation, National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, Freedom House, University of Qatar , and the Qatari Chamber of Commerce. The conference has had hundreds of outstanding political, economic and academic participants from more than 25 countries, covering all regions of the world. During the four previous conferences, more than 40 Members of Congress have participated including: Chris Bell (D-TX), Joseph Crowley (D-NY), Maurice D. Hinchey (D-NY), Darrell Issa (R-CA), Sheila Jackson-Lee (D-TX), Kendrick B. Meek (D-FL), Nick Rahall (D-WV), James Sensenbrenner, Jr. (R-WI), Christopher Shays (R-CT), John Sununu (R - NH), Bennie Thompson (D-MS). The U.S. Ambassador to Qatar , State Department Officials, White House Staff, Members of Parliament and the House of Lords from The United Kingdom , France and Argentina have also been in attendance.

The conference was established five years ago through the efforts of the Islamic Free Market Institute Foundation coupled with Qatar 's keenness to uphold and promote the concept of democratization. In order to reinforce these democratic principles and work to develop free trade, it is essential to create a favorable atmosphere for dialogue and contacts to continue. Forums like this provide an excellent high-level environment in which to exchange views, think together about different experiments, reflect upon experiences, and to study outlooks and prospects of democratic scenarios.

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.

As you may know, 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 US Central Command at Camp As-Sayliyah and has been a supportive and consistent ally of the United States .

Attendance to the event is strictly by invitation, Please feel free to contact us if you need any further information.

Qatar is committed to an open, democratic society with free press, universal suffrage, and private and foreign ownership, all of which have cemented the bonds between our two nations. In light of the recent elections in Iraq , as well as the West Bank , this Conference becomes a valuable instrument for breeding democratic societies throughout the region .

A number of U.S. Companies, including; ExxonMobil, Occidental, BP, ChevronTexaco, ConocoPhillips and Andarko have developed partnerships in Qatar to develop its oil and LNG exports.

Four major American Universities have established branches within Doha 's " Education City ", which is spearheaded by the Emir's wife, Sheikh Mozah. They are Weill Cornell Medical School , Texas A & M, Virginia Commonwealth and Carnegie.