Former U.S. President Bill Clinton opened here today the meetings of Clinton Global Initiative held annually on the sidelines of the sessions of the General Assembly of the United Nations. A large number of world prominent personalities in various fields took part in the meetings, including Prince Turki Al-Faisal, the Chairman of Board of Directors of King Faisal Center for Islamic Research and Studies. Addressing the meetings, former President Clinton pointed to the participation of Prince Turki Al-Faisal in the meetings, describing him as his friend since university academic studies forty years ago. He said that participants in the activities of the Initiative aim at finding appropriate solutions to the pressing challenges facing the world.