Prime Minister of Lebanon, United States Secretary of State, American Business Leaders Offer Path to a More Stable Lebanon

Today, the Prime Minister of Lebanon Fouad Siniora, the United
States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and a group of American
business leaders announced progress in an effort to spur economic
growth and stability in Lebanon.

Prime Minister Siniora, Secretary Rice and the business leaders
met at Paris III, an international donor conference in the French
capital aimed at identifying ways to build a more promising future for
the people of Lebanon. There, they discussed the crucial role of
public-private partnerships in helping to rebuild Lebanon for a better
future through expanding the reach of education and workforce
training, job creation and building technology infrastructure.

Four of the business leaders, Craig Barrett, Chairman, Intel
Corporation; John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco Systems, Inc.;
Yousif Ghafari, Chairman, GHAFARI, Inc.; and Dr. Ray Irani, Chairman,
President and CEO, Occidental Petroleum Corporation, formed the
U.S.-Lebanon Partnership in September, at the request of United States
President George W. Bush.

Additionally, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was introduced as a new
member of the Lebanon Partnership leadership group today.

"Lebanon faces real and substantial challenges in the wake of the
recent conflict, with damages to homes, schools and other critical
infrastructure costing billions of dollars. The U.S.-Lebanon
Partnership is a great friend to the people of Lebanon, and a leader
in the effort to marshal international support for the rebuilding
efforts. We will continue to work with the leaders of the Partnership
to find a more stable and prosperous future for the Lebanese people,"
said Fouad Siniora, Prime Minister of Lebanon.

"The United States is deeply concerned about the people of Lebanon
and is committed to finding enduring solutions for the challenges they
face," said U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. "The
U.S.-Lebanon Partnership is making important progress towards that
goal, helping to lay the foundation for sustained economic growth and
long-term stability."

Today, the Partnership announced initiatives in five key areas
critical to creating sustainable economic growth in the region, which
include crisis relief and response, information communication
technology (ICT) infrastructure, workforce training, job
creation/private sector revival and connected government.

Crisis Relief and Response

The Partnership is working with proven non-governmental
organizations (NGOs) in Lebanon to help address the immediate needs of
adequate housing, education and worker training. Today, the
Partnership announced a series of steps being taken by the NGOs which
are funded by the Partnership, including:

-- Habitat for Humanity (HFH) will assist approximately 50
families to repair damaged homes and will establish a new
Habitat Resource Center to help with ongoing disaster response
programs, directly and indirectly helping more than 3,500
people.

-- The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) will accelerate
efforts to return normalcy to children and families, with a
focus on improving health and nutrition, child protection and
education. As part of this, UNICEF will rehabilitate 10
schools in southern Lebanon, relying in part on youth
volunteers brought in from affected areas and across the
country.

-- American Near East Refugee Aid (ANERA) will distribute
Partnership funds among 10 southern Lebanese community-based
organizations to link the neediest populations to educational
and worker training materials through ICT.

-- Mercy Corps will rehabilitate 10 schools, expand their
extra-curricular offerings, provide IT access and computer
training and encourage school engagement among parents and
other community members.

ICT Infrastructure

Currently, Lebanon is burdened by a nascent and inefficient ICT
infrastructure. The Partnership has pledged to support development of
an International Gateway and an Internet Exchange Point to Lebanon
which will help develop Lebanon's economy by enabling open
communications in a competitive environment. This support may include
donation of equipment, training and consulting. The International
Gateway will offer improved international Internet connectivity for
Lebanon, and the Internet Exchange Point will strengthen local
infrastructure to stimulate local economic development. This project
has the potential to improve the speed and efficiency of Internet
traffic flow throughout Lebanon and help decrease costs.

Assistance also will be made available to the Lebanese
Telecommunications Regulatory Authority in establishing an enabling
environment for ICT in Lebanon that can promote innovation, investment
and infrastructure development.

Workforce Training

Sustainable economic growth in Lebanon requires a skilled
workforce and businesses built to compete in a global marketplace. The
Partnership is working to identify and place 500 Lebanese interns in
Lebanon and the United States over the next three years. Members of
the Partnership have initially committed to placing 115 interns within
their own companies.

In addition, Cisco has pledged to double the number of its
Networking Academies in Lebanon. The Networking Academy program
prepares students for IT jobs through a combination of online,
e-learning curriculum and hands-on lab work.

Job Creation / Private Sector Revival

Growing Lebanon's private sector is the linchpin to creating jobs
for the Lebanese people. Over the past two months, the Partnership has
conducted extensive outreach and worked with local stakeholders to
identify private sector projects that could be accelerated through
injection of capital and joint ventures with companies worldwide. The
result of this outreach is an initial list of more than 100 promising
projects in six key industries - technology, tourism, banking and
finance, agribusiness, health care and manufacturing - which will
contribute to job creation in Lebanon.

The project acceleration phase will start in mid-February, and the
Partnership will work with the United States Chamber of Commerce,
Overseas Private Investment Corporation and the Near East Consulting
Group to create joint ventures between Lebanese businesses and
compatible foreign business partners and provide needed funding and
insurance incentives. This will be done with the help of key Lebanese
business development organizations including Kafalat, IDAL and the
AmCham.

Connected Government

Technology has an increasingly important role to play in the
delivery of government and social services to the Lebanese people. For
this reason, the Partnership will enable on-line community access in
Lebanon by providing on-line access points that offer social resources
such as job training, healthcare information, on-line education,
global resources such as on-line libraries and other rich media
content and government services to Lebanese citizens.

"Microsoft has been working with Lebanon's government and NGOs for
years, collaborating on education projects, on efforts to
expand technology access, and on e-government solutions," said Steve
Ballmer, Microsoft CEO. "So we're pleased to be involved in the
U.S.-Lebanon Partnership Fund. This builds on our ongoing efforts to
help foster stability and promote development across the Middle East."

Microsoft supports access to technology and IT skills training for
schools and communities through its flagship citizenship programs
Unlimited Potential and Partners in Learning. In Lebanon, Microsoft
works to help students, orphans, elderly and people with disabilities,
and to help small and medium businesses thrive.

"Lebanon will only be rebuilt through actions focused on improving
the educational and economic infrastructure," said Craig Barrett,
Chairman, Intel Corporation. "The first $1 million in grants from the
U.S.-Lebanon Partnership Fund will enhance the existing relief
efforts. By collaborating with proven NGOs, our goal is to accelerate
meeting the immediate needs of adequate housing, education and worker
training."

"Only occasionally do you have an opportunity to make a difference
in a person's life, much less in a community. Through this
partnership, we have a chance to make a difference in a country and
perhaps even a region," said John Chambers, Chairman and CEO, Cisco.
"After visiting Lebanon, I have seen first-hand the serious challenges
facing the country. Through the efforts of this Partnership, we can
make a meaningful contribution not just for rebuilding Lebanon but to
help position the country for leadership in the future. Through the
unique combination of public-private partnerships and the support of
the global community, together we can accomplish what none of us can
do alone. We cannot underestimate the challenges associated with this
endeavor, nor can we afford to ignore the great needs facing this
country and all of its citizens. The time to act is now."

"It is my personal goal to help Lebanon return to the country I
knew growing up," said Yousif Ghafari, Chairman, GHAFARI, Inc.
"Lebanon used to be called the Switzerland or the Paris of the Middle
East, there was commerce and tourism: people of different religions
lived as peaceful neighbors. We were hospitable and we were
entrepreneurs and our small country welcomed the world to its
sophisticated night life, its beaches and its mountain resorts. The
world has changed, and Lebanon has lost its luster, but its people
have not lost their will to live in peace, tolerance and prosperity. I
firmly believe that with our human capital, outstanding educational
institutions and the Lebanese entrepreneurship we once again can make
Lebanon an example for the region where different faiths and cultures
can live together in peace and harmony, an oasis of tolerance and
prosperity in a volatile and increasing intolerant region of the
world. We cannot lose this generation to ignorance, lack of economic
opportunity and a loss of hope, if we do, we have lost Lebanon. We
cannot have peace without the hope of a future for the young people,
they have no comfort in the memory of Lebanon as it was, they need
education and opportunity and they will make a new Lebanon. The
Lebanon they make, however, is up to us, they can move to the light,
or they can move to the darkness of religious and cultural
intolerance, and blind and violent hatred of all things Western. They
can work for peace, or make war; my wish, and the reason I am
participating in this effort, is to work for peace. Every small step
toward peace is a step away from war."

"There has never been a more important time for the American
people to show their support and generosity to those in need in
Lebanon," said Dr. Ray Irani, Chairman, President and CEO of
Occidental Petroleum Corporation. "I continue, along with Occidental,
to very actively support a wide range of educational, health care and
charitable organizations throughout the Arab Middle East, including
Lebanon. It remains my hope that the work of the U.S.-Lebanon
Partnership, coupled with the important contributions of numerous
other non-governmental organizations throughout the United States and
across the globe, can assist Lebanon in achieving a more rapid
recovery and help in promoting lasting peace and stability in the
region."

For more information about the partnership and contributing to the
effort, visit www.lebanonpartnership.org