June 1995, Pages 73-74

Diplomatic Doings

By Janet McMahon

Egyptian Diplomat Inaugurates Forum

The National Association of Arab Americans Foundation launched its Arab-American Forum, a new series of monthly briefings by Middle East policymakers, with an April 25 Washington press conference by Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. Ahmed Maher El-Sayed. El-Sayed, whose previous postings as ambassador include Moscow, Brussels and Lisbon, discussed Cairo's stance on the renewal of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) and its impact on Egyptian-American relations.

El-Sayed began by noting that Egypt helped draft the NPT and signed the treaty in 1968. While the U.S. pushed for an "unconditional and unlimited" extension of the NPT, Egypt and a number of other non-nuclear powers were seeking an extension for a limited period in order to ensure signatories' accountability under the treaty. "The term 'unconditional' was an unfortunate choice of words by our American friends," according to El-Sayed, "because it was reminiscent of 'unconditional surrender.'" The ambassador said the implication that debate on the NPT and its effects would be stifled was an "unacceptable imposition" on non-nuclear powers.

Much of the diplomat's discussion focused on Israel's repeated refusal to sign the document without changes of its terms. "The time has come for Israel to envisage signing the NPT," El-Sayed stated. He told the audience of diplomats, officials and journalists that Egypt was not demanding that Israel sign the treaty immediately, but did want a firm commitment to a future signing date. "We have yet to receive a response" from Tel Aviv, the ambassador said.

"Israel is not submitting to any international obligation," El-Sayed told one journalist. "Israel is not accountable. This is unacceptable....Why should what is applicable to Iraq, North Korea and Pakistan not be applied to Israel?" El-Sayed asked. "We should not accept a situation where Israel is exempt from the will of the international community."

While acknowledging differences of opinion between Cairo and Washington on the issue of extension, the ambassador said the two countries agreed on the Non-Proliferation Treaty's importance. "We have a problem because of Israel's refusal. We do not have a problem with the NPT per se," El-Sayed declared, adding that both the U.S. and Egypt agree that signatories to the NPT must abide by it and that countries that have not signed the treaty should do so. (Subsequently, after modifications in the wording of the treaty, Egypt joined a number of Arab countries in approving the NPT's extension on May 11.)

Tunisian Ambassador Hosts Visiting Film Director

Tunisian Ambassador Azuz Ennifar held a reception in honor of Moufida Tlatli, director of the Tunisian feature film "Les Silence du Palais." Ms. Tlatli was in the U.S. national capital in conjunction with the annual Washington, DC Filmfest, where she introduced and discussed "Les Silences du Palais" with audiences at two screenings. Tlatli's highly acclaimed film, which recounts the lives of a mother and daughter in one of the last harems in pre-independence Tunisia, has won prizes at film festivals around the world and was runner-up for the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival this year.

UAE Ambassador Discusses Gulf Security Issues

As part of the University of Maryland's Earhart Lecture Series, United Arab Emirates Ambassador to the U.S. Mohammed Bin Hussein Al-Shaali discussed security issues in the Arabian Gulf on April 5.

Saying he was speaking as an individual rather than as a diplomat, Ambassador Al-Shaali, who earlier represented the UAE at the U.N., said the Gulf countries could be seen as comprising the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states, with their traditional, conservative and more stable governments, and the two large nations of Iran and Iraq, both currently with revolutionary regimes and severe economic chaos. Iran and Iraq, he said, both seek to export their ideologies, Iran's being Islam and Iraq's Arab nationalism.

Ambassador al-Shaali enumerated three requirements for improved security in the region: the enhancement of GCC military capabilities and a unified defense policy; a regional security mechanism involving all the Gulf countries; and guarantees and respect for such a security mechanism by the major world powers.