Neil Bush addresses delegates on the third day of the 2002 Jeddah Economic Forum

Calling for new, challenging, and engaging methods of education, Neil Bush said that this more than anything else would help bridge the gap of understanding between peoples of different cultures and nations.

Saying that he firmly agreed with HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal (a keynote speaker of the previous day), who said that to solve terrorism one must attack its root causes, Neil Bush (the chairman and CEO of IGNITE USA) identified the lack of proper education as being one of these major causes. "Everyone must help push forward education and dispel all misunderstanding between peoples," he said, adding that children must be engaged in a proactive challenging style, where they can explore and discover reality for themselves through a range of different media sources. This would lead them to discovering the truth for themselves, he said.

Later in the day, the focus shifted to the world's energy markets with one of the leading international experts on the oil industry, Dr. Ray Irani, the chairman and CEO of Occidental Petroleum. He stated that he was fundamentally opposed to the Kyoto Protocol - the international agreement to place controls on the emission of green house gases - and gave a range of arguments to support his case. He claimed that the agreement, which has already been rejected by the US government, would stifle the oil industry, slow economic progress, and prove highly damaging for the developing world. His opinions were welcomed by his co-speaker on the discussion panal Muhammad Al-Sabban, the special advisor to the Saudi Minister of Petroleum and Mineral Resources.

Organised by the Jeddah Marketing Board (JMB), the forum - entitled "Managing in a Complex Global Environment" - presented delegates with insightful presentations followed by open broad-ranging discussions. Several top executives took part including David Rubenstein, one of the founding partners of the Carlyle Group, and Howard Paster, the chairman and CEO of the Hill & Knowlton Group. On the first two days the forum was addressed by the Former President of the United States Bill Clinton, the HH Crown Prince of Bahrain Sheikh Salman bin Hamed Al-Khalifa, and HRH Prince Sultan bin Salman, the secretary general of the Saudi Arabian Higher Commission for Tourism.

The forum is being sponsored by some of Saudi Arabia's best known companies, including HRH Prince Alwaleed bin Talal's The Kingdom Holding Company (the JEF umbrella sponsors), the Abdullatif Jameel Group, the Jeraisy Group, the National Commercial Bank, the Saudi American Bank, the Middle East Broadcasting Centre, the Saudi Research and Publication Company, the Al-Rajhi Commercial Exchange, Dallah Al-Barak, and the Saudi Cable Company.

"This year's forum is really highlighting the role of Jeddah in the region's economic life," said Amr Dabbagh, the JMB chairman. "And providing a clear pathway through some of the most challenging issues facing global businessmen and companies today."