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community is so important for the relationship between Saudi Arabia and the United States, as well as the United States and the rest of the Arab world.”

David Hamod, President and CEO of NUSACC, noted that in little over a year as ambassador, Prince Turki visited more than half of the U.S. States and delivered over 50 speeches. Hamod praised the Saudi diplomat for his warmth, candor, and his “extraordinary ability to find common ground with every American he met.”

The luncheon was attended by top-level executives from such NUSACC Platinum member companies as Aramco Services, Boeing, Citigroup, Chevron, ExxonMobil, and Raytheon – all of which served as corporate sponsors.

Prince Turki noted, “The sense of hospitality here has been an amazing expression of the American character. It has been a wonderful year. Wherever I have gone, the welcome and reception that I have had has been truly extraordinary. I have enjoyed the openness and directness of the American people.”

The John Deere Waterloo Works in Iowa presents H.R.H. Prince Turki Al-Faisal with a memento of his visit.

In Iowa, NUSACC arranged for Prince Turki to make a site visit to a John Deere plant that contributed to sales of more than 1,500 Deere tractors to Saudi Arabia in the past five years. H.R.H. also visited the headquarters of Rockwell Collins, which recently secured a $16 million contract in Saudi Arabia.

NUSACC hosted a dinner for Prince Turki and 200 community leaders in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. At that event, Congressman Jim Leach (R-IA) talked about shared economic and political interests of Americans and Saudis. “In Saudi Arabia there is energy and great wealth that springs from a black substance below the sands,” he said, while in Iowa, much of the wealth “is on the surface of the earth – our black earth – and we are converting some of that earth into energy in the form of ethanol.”

The dinner was sponsored by Midamar, a Platinum member of NUSACC.

Dr. Mazyed Al-Mazyed, representing Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Education, met with leaders from the University of Iowa, University of Northern Iowa, Kirkwood Community College, Coe College, as well as Mount Vernon College. Education and the desire to host Saudi students in Iowa was a topic of great interest, as well as the possibility of cooperating in scientific and medical research centers between Iowa and Saudi Arabia.

NUSACC was honored to organize Prince Turki’s last public meeting with the U.S. business community. At that session, NUSACC presented him with a Superior Service Award for outstanding contributions to U.S.-Arab commercial relations as Saudi Ambassador to the United States.

NUSACC Support for
Pro-Trade Conferences

NUSACC supported many pro-trade conferences in 2006. Several stand out.

NUSACC was a supporting organizer of the One Global California Conference hosted by the Los Angeles Area Chamber of Commerce, the District Export Council of Los Angeles, and the Foreign Commercial Service of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Seven U.S. Ambassadors served as panelists at the conference, including those posted in Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, and the United Arab Emirates. The conference offered excellent opportunities to meet one-to-one with ambassadors and representatives of the U.S. & Foreign

Commercial Service, and the turnout for the two-day event was excellent, particularly among Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises (SMEs).

NUSACC also participated in the Jeddah Economic Forum, which focused in 2006 on economic growth, identity, and sharing common ground. David Hamod, NUSACC’s President & CEO, delivered a speech on “Reviving the Trade of a Nation.”

In addition, NUSACC participated in back-to-back conferences in Qatar, which has quickly established itself as one of the most successful hosts in the region. At the Sixth Annual Doha Forum on Democracy, Development and Free Trade, David Hamod delivered a speech on models of economic cooperation and integration. One week later, NUSACC also participated in the first-ever Qatar Economic Forum in Doha.

In December, NUSACC participated in a Free Trade Agreement Awareness Conference in Muscat, Oman. The one-day event was hosted by Oman’s Ministry of Commerce and Industry, the Oman Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OCCI), the Omani Center for Investment Promotion and Export Development (OCIPED), and the U.S. Embassy.

Keynote speakers included: H.E. Maqbool bin Ali Sultan, Oman’s Minister of Commerce and Industry; Hon. Shaun Donnelly, Assistant U.S. Trade Representative; Hon. Gary Grappo, U.S. Ambassador to Oman; H.E. Salim al-Ghattami, Chairman of OCCI; and Dr. Salem ben Nasser al-Ismaily, CEO of OCIPED.

David Hamod, NUSACC’s President & CEO, led a panel discussion on ways to maximize the benefits of the U.S.-Oman FTA. He also participated in industry-specific workshops that focused on key sectors that stand to benefit from the FTA, including industry and services, tourism and infrastructure, healthcare, and information communications technology.»