Washington Report, May 30, 1983, Page 5

Lobby Activities

For Arabs:

The 11th annual convention of the National Association of Arab Americans (NAAA), which took place in Washington, D.C. in mid-May, was its most successful ever, according to NAAA officials.

A record 800 members attended the three-day meeting, nearly double the number last year. Ronald Cathell, NAAA spokesman, said the delegates were "uplifted" by the turn-out and by the atmosphere and program of the convention. "For the first time," Cathell said, "many members are beginning to feel that as Arab Americans their voices are being heard by U.S. policymakers."

This heightened awareness of their effectiveness was enhanced by the nearly 100 conferees who took part in a full day of lobbying activities on Capitol Hill, the first such organized drive held in conjunction with the annual convention. Promoted by conference planners as "Arab-American Day on Capitol Hill," the participants met individually and in small groups with over 75 Senators, Congressmen or members of their staffs. According to Mr. Cathell, the participants said that they were well-received by the legislators, who showed great interest in hearing their views.

In addition, there were a series of panels on topics such as U.S.-Arab trade, the "occupied territories," and the reconstruction of Lebanon at which talks were given by past and present U.S. and Arab policyrnakers and businessmen. Workshops were also held to improve grass-roots lobbying.

The convention wound up with a banquet attended by over 1,200 persons, at which Crown Prince Hassan Ibn Talal of Jordan was the key speaker. Other speakers included Robert Joseph, the first NAAA president to be elected to a second one-year term.

Meanwhile, the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) recently sponsored a benefit concert at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. to raise money for its "Save Lebanon" project, which so far has brought 28 Lebanese and Palestinian children and young adults to the U.S. for treatment of injuries suffered during Israel's invasion of Lebanon. Performing were the Symphony for United Nations, the Paul Hill Chorale and entertainer Danny Thomas, who urged the many Arab Americans in the audience not to forget their heritage. ADC officials said approximately 2,700 tickets were sold for the event.

For Israel:

An official of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) has revealed that a memorandum recommending that U.S.-Israeli relations be improved, which was written last month and circulated within the Administration by undisclosed officials, led to "serious bureaucratic infighting" between officials who agreed and those who did not.

The memo was discussed by AIPAC's executive director, Thomas Dine, during a recent speech at an AIPAC workshop in Richmond, Virginia. It argued, according to Dine, that the "pro-Arab" policy—which the authors of the memo believed the U.S. was pursuing—was not being effective in achieving progress toward Middle East peace and concluded by saying that it was time "to restore the relationship with Israel."

Wolf Blitzer, writing in an English-language Israeli newspaper on the Dine speech, said that U.S. officials have confirmed "that the memo had been widely read within the Administration and that it probably had influenced (Secretary) Shultz to try to improve ties with Israel during his shuttle diplomacy" between Israel and Lebanon in early May. Mr. Blitzer added that the memo was also said to have played a role in President Reagan's decision to allow Israel to purchase parts for the Lavi aircraft it is planning to build.

Mr. Dine said that advocates of the view to improve U.S.-Israel relations included Charles Hill, an assistant to Secretary Shultz, and Deputy National Security Advisor Robert McFarlane. Among the "detractors," added Mr. Dine, were Defense Secretary Caspar Weinberger and Assistant Secretary of State Nicholas Veliotes.