Afghanistan Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah to Speak at UCLA School of Law.

WHAT: UCLA School of Law will host a lecture by Islamic Republic
      of Afghanistan Foreign Minister Dr. Abdullah Abdullah. The event
      is co-sponsored by the law school's Politics and International
      Law Colloquium and the UCLA Muslim Law Students Association,
      with support from the UCLA Burkle Center for International
      Relations.

      The Afghan Foreign Minister will discuss recent developments in
      Afghanistan, including a report that tracks progress from the
      end of the Bonn Process in Sept. 2005 to the formation of the
      five-year Afghan Compact this year. The Compact, which is the
      result of consultation between the Government of Afghanistan,
      the United Nations and the international community, affirms the
      commitment of these entities to work towards conditions where
      the Afghan people can live in peace and security under the rule
      of law, with good governance and human rights protection for
      all, and can enjoy sustainable economic and social development.

WHO: Dr. Abdullah Abdullah was appointed in June 2002 as the Foreign
     Minister of the Translational Islamic State of Afghanistan by
     the UN-sponsored national Loya Jirga, which was comprised of
     1,501 selected officials from across the country.

     Born in September of 1960 in Kabul, Dr. Abdullah graduated from
     Nadiria High School in 1976 and then went on to study
     ophthalmology at Kabul university's department of medicine where
     he received an M.D. degree in 1983. From 1984 to 1985 Dr.
     Abdullah served as the Resident Ophthalmologist at Noor Eye
     Institute in Kabul. From 1985 to 1986 he worked in the
     Ophthalmology Hospital for Afghan Refugees in Peshawar and was
     also the Director of Health Care for the Resistance Front.

     In 1986 Dr. Abdullah became the Special Advisor and Chief
     Assistant to Ahmad Shah Masood and served in the capacity until
     1992. From 1993 to 1996 he served as the Director General in the
     Ministry of Defense in Kabul. From 1996 to 2001, he served as the
     Deputy Foreign Minister and spokesperson for the Islamic state of
     Afghanistan. In 1998, he became Foreign Minister of the Islamic
     State of Afghanistan.

     On December 22, 2001, during the Bonn Intra-Afghan talks, Dr.
     Abdullah was selected as the Minister of Foreign Affairs for the
     Interim Administration of Afghanistan under Chairman Hamid
     Karzai.

     Dr. Abdullah, who is married and has four children, is fluent in
     Dari, Pashto and English.

WHEN: Thursday, March 16, 2006, 5:30-6:30 p.m.

WHERE: UCLA School of Law

CONTACT: Philip Little, UCLA School of Law, [phone],
         [e-mail]