ST. LOUIS HOSTING SISTER CITIES INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE

More Than 1,000 Delegates From China, Europe, Africa, Mexico, Russia & Japan Arriving on July 23

By Scanews staff

St. Louis, Missouri - Economic advisors, politicians, artists, dancers, musicians, educators and officials from 137 nations will meet in downtown St. Louis to promote "Better Cities" at the 2003 Sister Cities International Conference to be hosted July 23 - July 26, 2003. 

The public is invited to gala events including a vibrant Parade of Nations downtown, a colorful Welcome Reception at Missouri Botanical Garden and the International Consular Ball in addition to seminars and workshops conducted by community leaders and advisors from around the world. The conference is being hosted by The St. Louis Center for International Relations and The St. Louis 2003 Host Committee.
  
St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay, St. Louis County Executive George "Buzz" Westfall, and executives from Anheuser-Busch Cos, American Airlines, The St. Louis Rams, Zoltek, K&S Contractors, ACI Plastics, Inc. and The Missouri Association of Realtors among many others will participate in a full range of activities and special sessions. The event is being held at The Millennium Hotel on Fourth Street.

"This is the first time in 25 years that the Sister Cities International Convention is being hosted in St. Louis," said Guillermo Rodriquez, who is Director, International Projects, Office of Study Abroad, at Webster University. "We are very excited and proud that so many influential officials from different cities around the globe will join the conference for productive socio-economic exchange and shared insights."

Former U.S. Senator George Michael of Maine, who negotiated the United Kingdom-Northern Ireland Peace Accord while a Special U.S. Ambassador, will be keynote speaker at The International Consular Dinner in St. Louis on Saturday, July 26 as part of the 2003 Sister Cities International Conference hosted by The St. Louis Center for International Relations. The public is cordially invited to attend this gala event, which will begin at 6:30 p.m. in The Grand Ballroom of The Millennium Hotel at 200 South Fourth Street. 

Tickets for the Dinner, which is black tie optional, are $75 each. For reservations, call The St. Louis Center for International Relations at 314.863.6777.  The public also is invited to special Conference events including a colorful Parade of Nations at from 9 a.m. to noon at Kiener Plaza downtown on July 24.  

Sister Cities International, based in Washington, D.C., is a non-profit diplomacy network that creates and strengthens partnerships between U.S. and international communities to help increase global cooperation at municipal levels, promote cultural understanding and stimulate economic development.

The St. Louis Center for International Relations (SLCIR)  is a non-profit corporation administered jointly by St. Louis City and St. Louis County governments. As the development arm of St. Louis' thirteen sister city relationships and their associated St. Louis volunteer committees, SLCIR promotes the region's international presence through in-bound tourism and business development via international exchanges in commerce, education, technology, culture, and the arts.