Baker, Sadat, and Moyers to Headline World Leaders Symposium in the Middle East

SAN FRANCISCO, June 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Under the banner "Explore the world with the people who shape it," World Leaders Travel today announced plans for The Middle East, a World Leaders Symposium featuring former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker, III, former Egyptian first lady Jehan Sadat, veteran journalist Bill Moyers, and a team of other leading figures in Middle East politics, culture, history, religion, journalism, and human rights.  

This customized travel event, December 29, 2010–January 12, 2011, departs from Amman, Jordan, and ends in Dubai, U.A.E. An all-inclusive itinerary includes a comprehensive educational program, a Persian Gulf cruise aboard the exclusively chartered Silver Wind, five-star hotel accommodations, and specially arranged events and excursions in Jordan, U.A.E., Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Optional program extensions include Christmas in Bethlehem, as well as Iran and Oman.

Participants will go beyond the headlines as they engage in dynamic intellectual discussions with keynote speakers, special guests, local experts, and fellow travelers who offer a range of perspectives and personal insights. A seven-night Gulf cruise from Dubai offers opportunities for further exploration in exotic Kuwait City, Dammam, and Doha. Travelers will enjoy the freedom to customize their experience by choosing from a menu of optional, small-group excursions.

Among the highlights are a special New Year's Eve celebration on the shore of the Dead Sea; the rare opportunity to experience the magic of Petra by candlelight; an engaging discussion with female students at Dubai's Zayed University; a private visit to the impressive Arab Organizations Headquarters Building in Kuwait; behind-the-scenes access at the Al Jazeera media complex, the I.M. Pei-designed Museum of Islamic Arts, and the Al Shaqab Arabian horse stables in Qatar; and a meeting with Aramco executives during an excursion to the source of Saudi Arabia's oil wealth, the famous Well #7.

In addition to Baker, Sadat, and Moyers, the educational team also includes Karen Armstrong, best-selling author and expert on world religions; Joan Brown Campbell, director of the department of religion at the Chautauqua Institution; Zalmay Khalilzad, former U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Afghanistan, and Iraq; Aaron David Miller, Middle East policy expert and advisor to six U.S. secretaries of state; and Crocker Snow, Jr., director of the Edward R. Murrow Center for Public Diplomacy. Special guests will join the Symposium for various lengths of time. Other notable experts and scholars, including a lineup of local speakers, will be confirmed prior to departure.

Symposium sponsors include the Association of Rice Alumni, Chautauqua Institution, Foreign Affairs magazine, Smithsonian Journeys, Tufts Travel-Learn, Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, and World Affairs Council.

All-inclusive pricing, with the exception of international airfare, begins at $19,990 per person, double occupancy. For a detailed brochure or to reserve a suite, contact a sponsoring organization or your professional travel advisor, call World Leaders Travel at (800) 395-3288, or visit WorldLeadersTravel.com.

SOURCE World Leaders Travel