Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, June 2000, pages 100-102

Diplomatic Doings

Veteran Diplomat Abdulla Bishara Speaks at Kuwait Information Office

President Abdulla Y. Bishara of Kuwait’s Diplomatic Center for Strategic Studies spoke May 3 to an invitational audience at the Kuwait Information Office in Washington, DC. Ambassador Bishara, who was in Washington for a meeting of the World Bank, was the first secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a position he held for 10 years, and also was Kuwait’s ambassador to the United Nations, where he also served for 10 years.

He noted that he was offering personal opinions, and not those of Kuwait or the GCC, in his Washington talk, co-sponsored by the U.S.-GCC Corporate Cooperation Committee and entitled “The GCC and Regional Integration: Trends and Opportunities.” The talk was moderated by Dr. John Duke Anthony, president of the National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations.

Ambassador Bishara said the GCC was created May 21, 1981 during the first year of the Iraq-Iran war, “in the flames of war and hatred between the two main littoral states. From its founding the GCC had two goals,” he continued: “To contain and to put an end to that bloody war.”

As the war continued and the tide of battle shifted in Iran’s favor, he recalled, “Iraq became a status quo power” and “the GCC sought to support Iraq and to prevail on Iran to accept a démarche for a cease-fire.”

After eight years of fighting, this effort ultimately was successful in 1988. However, “two years after the end of the Iran-Iraq war, Iraq struck again, but this time against Kuwait,” Bishara noted. Although “within seven months Kuwait was liberated due to mutual cooperation including GCC powers,” he said, “we still are grappling with the consequences of that war.”

He noted that “from 1991 to today there have been numerous United Nations Security Council resolutions addressed to Iraq with which it did not comply.”

Ambassador Bishara said, however, that after Iraq recognized Kuwait in 1994, U.N. Security Council Resolution 1284 gave Iraq a hope of the lifting of sanctions once it abandoned weapons of mass destruction. However, he pointed out, “until now Iraq has not complied with that resolution.”

Concluding his review of the past two decades in the Gulf, Bishara said that currently “in the diplomatic and political areas the GCC has done extremely well.” He explained that “despite all this heavy lifting, the GCC has not neglected the economic side. The trend now in the Gulf is to reduce the influence of the governments in the lives of individuals. We have to produce more jobs and integrate with the centers of the world economy.”

He described The Gulf Consultative Assembly as a “fledgling Gulf parliament, consisting of 30 individuals, five from each member state, with a rotating presidency,” and the Gulf as a whole as a “huge market for trade [which is] expanding enormously with privatization.” Turning to security, he said there is a realization by public opinion, governments and institutes that the involvement of the U.S. in the security of the area is unavoidable.

“If you want globalization, you cannot have it without involvement of the U.S.,” he said. Conversely, “it is very useful for the U.S. to have the GCC, which is the voice of rationality and moderation.”

In answer to questions, Ambassador Bishara said, “Globalization does not mean that everything will be privatized. The governments will keep control of resources (including oil).” He noted also that “we aspire to see a change in Iraq and a quiet Iran for a more stable Gulf. We hope to have a GCC customs union and free flow of services and capital.”

In answer to another question he predicted that “the regional stalemate will continue so long as Saddam Hussain is there. His presence has produced paralysis and it will remain so so long as he is there.”

Regarding Iran and the Persian/Arabian Gulf, he said, “All GCC countries are in harmony on the islands [belonging to the UAE but disputed by Iran], an international presence in the Gulf, and its status as international waters.” He added, “It’s good to open doors of dialogue with Iran because they have paranoia and, for whatever reasons, they feel threatened.”

— Richard H. Curtiss

Mosaic Foundation Hosts an Arabian Night To Remember

The Mosaic Foundation hosted an evening of music, dance and regional cuisine for its annual gala on May 3 at the National Building Museum in Washington, DC. The proceeds from this year’s dinner gala, a record-setting $1.2 million, benefited Save the Children, an international non-profit child assistance organization working in 46 countries, including Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco and the West Bank and Gaza.

The Mosaic Foundation was formed in 1998 by the spouses of 17 Arab ambassadors to the U.S. to assist American charitable organizations. The foundation, which also holds an Arab bazaar each November, is dedicated to improving the lives of women and children while fostering deeper cultural, educational and professional relationships between people of the Arab world, from western Africa to the Gulf, and the people of the United States.

The organization chose the name Mosaic because this is a traditional art form found in the Arab world that uses a variety of stones of many colors to create a single beautiful distinctive design. Like its namesake, the Mosaic Foundation brings together the individual skills of its members as well as the diverse cultural, religious, and political backgrounds of each country they represent in order to create a valuable and powerful charitable group. Their first year’s fund-raiser produced $500,000 for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, and the next year the foundation raised $300,000 for the National Race for the Cure. The foundation also made major donations to Columbia Hospital for Women in Washington, DC, the International Red Cross/ Red Crescent Kosovo Refugee Relief, and the American Red Cross Turkish Earthquake Disaster Relief.

First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton’s name was on the Mosaic invitation for the year 2000 as the honorary chairwoman for the third year in a row. However, she chose to gain points in the weekly Jewish press by publicly snubbing the fund-raiser because the ambassador to the U.S. of Israel, which has no diplomatic ties with most Arab countries, had not been invited. Organizers pointed out that more than 130 other ambassadors to the U.S. also were not invited but, no doubt envisioning a chance to gain votes in her New York Senate race, the first lady did not attend the fund-raiser on behalf of Save the Children.

Master of ceremonies and former Miss America Phyllis George, who was also the first woman sports commentator on TV and a longtime advocate of Save the Children, thanked the diners for their generosity. She said the $1.2 million the Mosaic Foundation raised was the largest single gift for programs in the Arab world Save the Children had ever received, and will benefit 500,000 people. Corporate donors included Riggs National Bank, First Union Bank, General Motors, Saks Jandel, Phillips Petroleum, Exxon Mobil, BP Amoco, Chevron, Marathon Oil, Kuwait Petroleum, Boeing, Lockheed, Aramco Services Company, Raytheon, Ritz Carlton, and EgyptAir, to name just a few.

The chair of this year’s Gala, Shaikha Ferial Sabah, the wife of Kuwait’s ambassador, said that the Mosaic Foundation wanted to transport the guests to the Arab world, but magic carpets were just too passé in this age of supersonic flights. Instead they decided to bring the Arabian Nights to Washington, DC. They succeeded. The dining area was transformed into an elaborate tent with Syrian brocade cloths adorning tables lit with crystal candelabras from Lebanon. Fragrant incense from Bahrain scented the evening, while Egypt provided exotic lanterns. There was traditional Arab food with mint tea from Morocco, Jordanian juices, Arabic coffee from Saudi Arabia, and traditional desserts from Djibouti, Oman, Palestine, Tunisia and Yemen.

At the request of his wife, Kuwaiti Ambassador Mohammed Sabah Salim Sabah led the Kuwait Television Folklore Troupe in a ceremonial dance. The Troupe’s melodious selections also included wedding music and fishermen’s songs. The Egyptian star Lucy, one of the most prominent dancers in the Arab world, entertained guests after dinner. Lebanese singer Dany Achkar and the Al-Anwar Band provided dance music for an Arabian Night to remember. Too bad you missed it, Hillary.

—Delinda C. Hanley

Lebanon’s Makassed Foundation Opens Washington, DC Office

The Ambassador of Lebanon and Mrs. Farid Abboud held a May 4th reception at their residence in honor of the president of the Makassed Foundation of Lebanon, Mr. Tammam Salaam, who also is a member of the Lebanese parliament. At the reception it was announced that the Makassed Foundation, a philanthropic organization that has been working in Lebanon since 1878, on behalf of schools and hospitals, is opening an American affiliate headquartered in the U.S. national capital, the Makassed Foundation of America (MFA). For more information on how to help the difficult economic situation in Lebanon with a philanthropy that is not bound by race, color or religion call MFA at (202) 783-7979 or write: Makassed Foundation, 1510 H St., NW, Washington, DC 20005.

—Delinda C. Hanley

Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh Discusses Progress in Yemen

Surrounded by oil-rich monarchies, Yemen, a small mountainous land on the southwestern tip of the Arabian Peninsula, has continuously faced challenges posed by regional border disputes, civil wars, and alarming economic conditions—all of which have been potentially destabilizing factors. More specifically, in recent years the country has attracted negative international attention as a result of a series of hostage-taking incidents, which claimed the lives of four tourists in one abduction in 1998.

For a resources-limited country that relies heavily on tourism as a major source of national income, this has proved disastrous. Moreover, direly needed foreign exchange from expatriates’ remittances has fallen to record lows due to past actions by the government of Yemen which drove many of its neighbors to expel Yemeni workers. Furthermore, the 10-year ultimately successful effort to unify the Republic of Yemen, with its capital in Sana’a, and the People’s Republic of Southern Yemen, with its capital at Aden, was plagued by a series of secession attempts, which culminated in a brief civil war in 1994.

At a speaking engagement in the U.S. capital sponsored by Middle East Insight magazine, the International Foundation for Election Systems, and the National Democratic Institute on April 3, Yemeni President Ali Abdallah Saleh discussed his government’s policies in dealing with the various sources of instability, and on the progress Yemen has achieved in the areas of constitutional reform and economic liberalization.

Despite the divisions between North and South Yemen produced by very dissimilar economies, colonial experiences, political systems, and sectarian orientations, President Saleh credited his government with achieving and maintaining national unity as a policy.

He reiterated the need to uphold the country’s constitution, which was a product of a popular nationwide referendum, and said that Yemen continues to view democratic choice, pluralism, freedom of the press, and freedom of expression as crucial tenets of its existing democracy. He pointed with pride to the progress that Yemen has made in achieving equal participation of women in all walks of Yemeni life and promised to achieve even more in the near future.

President Saleh noted that his government’s achievements in rehabilitating the economy, after years of misguided economic policies, have resulted in an impressive increase in the nation’s economic growth, which has reached a record annual high of 4.2 percent. Noting his government’s history of implementing structural adjustment policies recommended by the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, the president reiterated his government’s commitment to further economic reforms, with the “moral and financial support of Yemen’s friends.”

Finally, alluding to the hostage-taking incidents, President Saleh noted that Yemen will remain a peace-loving nation governed by the rule of law. Its rich history and culture, he asserted, offer a unique educational experience to its visitors. He concluded by extending a warm welcome to all who wish to visit Yemen

— Asma Yousef

Georgetown Honors Sultan Qaboos with Founder’s Award

Georgetown University’s Center for Contemporary Arab Studies (CCAS) presented its 25th Anniversary Founder’s Award to Sultan Qaboos Bin Said Al-Said of Oman in Washington, DC on May 1. Sultan Qaboos was honored for his commitment to the advancement of Arab studies and his generosity to Georgetown University.

Dr. Michael C. Hudson, acting director of CCAS, told the full auditorium that the “forward-looking” Sultan Qaboos has been a most effective and enlightened ruler of Oman. “He is justly respected for his patronage of Islamic culture and history at home and abroad,” the veteran educator said.

Georgetown’s first Muslim chaplain, Imam Yahya Hendi, read from the Qur’an and gave a moving invocation after marveling that a Muslim cleric can provide the invocation at Georgetown, a reflection of the Jesuit university’s open door to world religions.

Financier and CCAS board of directors chairman Nemir Kirdar noted that in order to attend the ceremony he “stopped in Washington en route from London to Budapest.” In his remarks, Kirdar described Sultan Qaboos as a “visionary ruler” who has made a difference in the world and who has been a generous supporter of Georgetown University.

No university in the U.S. puts so much emphasis on the Arab world, publishes as many papers, has so many Middle Eastern Studies students, or offers as many Middle East-related courses, Kirdar said. He also gave his personal impressions of Oman, extolling not only its “natural beauty and architectural design,” but behind that facade “the infrastructure of people and organizations. The country now has 10 colleges and universities and Oman graduates highly skilled men and women who are the backbone of that infrastructure,” Kirdar said. “Oman is a country that works.”

He compared present-day Oman with the country on July 22, 1970, the day before Sultan Qaboos ascended the throne: “There were three miles of paved road, 12 telephones, no electricity, one school, and at night the capital closed down. When Qaboos took over from his father, he lost no time as he took the country from a dark cave into the sunshine.”

Besides building a first-class infrastructure and embracing the technology revolution, Qaboos has encouraged individual and religious freedom, the equality of Omani citizens and the rule of law, and his country is on the way to building a democracy, Kirdar said.

Beyond Oman’s borders, Sultan Qaboos has performed a visionary and courageous diplomatic role in the region. He supports universities in Egypt and India, and various causes from the Palestinian people to handicapped children in The Netherlands. Kirdar added that a lot of credit must also be given to Oman’s team of diplomats and to its Minister responsible for Foreign Affairs Yousef Bin Alawi Bin Abdulla. The minister accepted the award on behalf of Sultan Qaboos from the president of Georgetown University, the Rev. Leo O’Donovan, S.J.

Sultan Qaboos endowed CCAS with a scholarship fund and the Sultanate of Oman Chair in Arabic and Islamic Literature in 1980 and again in 1993. Dr. Irfan Shahid, Sultanate of Oman Professor of Arabic and Islamic Literature, who holds the Chair, concluded the program with a lecture on “The Contributions of Oman to Arabic Culture: Al-Khalil ibn Ahmad, the Father of Arabic Philology.”

—Delinda C. Hanley