Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor hosted former US President Jimmy Carter and First Lady Rosalynn Carter in Dubai on Sunday March 22, 2015. President Carter, who was on an official visit to the region with The Carter Center, came to the Al Habtoor Group head office to brief Al Habtoor on the situation in Palestine, and inform him about how his donations to the cause are being utilised. They also discussed ways they can work more closely together in the future.
Al Habtoor and President Carter have had an ongoing relationship encouraging peace in the Middle East through their respective foundations, the Khalaf Ahmad Al Habtoor Foundation (KAHF) and The Carter Center, and Al Habtoor is a regular supporter of The Carter Center.
The meeting comes after Al Habtoor invited President Carter to Illinois College in the United States last year, where he launched his ‘Pathways to Peace’ initiative, a proposal for the Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Resolution. They have met several times prior to that in Dubai, and Al Habtoor paid a visit to The Carter Center in Atlanta late last year.
Al Habtoor thanked President and Mrs Carter for their long-standing dedication to achieving peace in the Arab World and said, “It is a pleasure to see President Carter and the former First Lady in the United Arab Emirates again. It is a testament to their commitment for peace and security in our region. These are two people who K work tirelessly for the good of others.”
President Carter, the 39th President of the US, won a Nobel Peace Prize in 2002 “for his decades of untiring effort to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development.”
Al Habtoor and President Carter also discussed the outcome of a three day economic development conference in Egypt, where billions of dollars was pledged to the country - including from the GCC countries.
After the meeting, President and Mrs Carter attended a traditional Arabic lunch at Al Habtoor’s majlis.
President Carter thanked Al Habtoor for his hospitality and continued support of The Carter Center.