Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2000, Page 99

Diplomatic Doings

Egyptian Ambassador Fahmy Speaks at Peace Institute

Ambassador of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the United States Nabil Fahmy delivered his first address since arriving in the U.S. on Oct. 25 at the United States Institute of Peace. In Fahmy’s view, as Egypt approaches the new millennium it faces a series of challenges critical to the long-term interests of the region, primarily demographic and population transformations, technological growth, and economic patterns.

According to World Bank estimates, the region is expected to undergo a population increase of 150 million inhabitants, with the most significant increase occurring in the 15-39 age bracket. Fahmy pointed out that this expected population curve, coupled with demographic shifts, presents policymakers with monumental forces.

As Fahmy, son of former Egyptian Foreign Minister Ismail Fahmy, explained, the advent of the information revolution is also expected to play a critical role in shaping the region. The use of computers, electronics, and satellite technology will expose the younger generation to a new social element and lead them to challenge established social and cultural norms. The increased flow of information, Fahmy predicted, will also force governments to contend with significantly lower levels of control over access to information and an increasingly politically active generation.

Economically, the ambassador recognized the need for the region to undergo an essential reform process, moving away from centrally planned economies isolated from the global market toward economic liberalization and increased contribution to the world economy. In the words of Fahmy, “Egypt, Morocco, and Jordan have already taken positive steps in that direction, while striking a fine balance between economic reform and the preservation of social and political stability. Now, with the fundamentals in place, there is a particular urgency to accelerating the pace of economic restructuring for the region’s economies to meet the challenges of the global market. All this augurs well for an active and energetic Middle East.”

Regarding Arab-Israeli peace, Fahmy concluded, all parties, Lebanese, Syrians, Palestinians and Israelis alike, clearly understand the political terms for resolving the conflict and that the principle of land-for-peace must provide the fundamental basis for a settlement. Tangibly, this means that the Palestinians must have a sovereign and independent state, the Golan Heights must be returned to Syria, Israeli forces must leave all of currently occupied Lebanon, and Israel must be provided security. Fahmy also called for continued U.S. involvement in the region, without which, he said, the peace process would lie stagnant and the parties absent of political will.

—Sadia Razaq

Crown Prince of Bahrain Visits Washington

During a Jan. 18-20 visit to Washington, Shaikh Salman bin Hamad bin Essa Al Khalifa, crown prince and minister of defense of Bahrain, called on President Bill Clinton, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Secretary of Defense William Cohen. A graduate of American University in Washington, DC and of Cambridge University in England, Shaikh Salman was paying his first visit to the American capital since becoming crown prince last year on the death of his grandfather, Shaikh Essa bin Salman Al Khalifa, and the assumption of rulership in Bahrain by his father, Shaikh Hamad bin Essa.

Bahrain, long the site of a valuable American naval installation, has little remaining oil. It bases its economy on service industries, particularly offshore banking. At a Jan. 18 meeting with members of the large Washington, DC chapter of the American-Bahrain Friendship Society, Shaikh Salman pointed with pride to the growth of the Bahrain School, a U.S. Department of Defense-supported primary and secondary facility with an English-language curriculum and students from 55 countries.

—Andrew I. Killgore