July/August 1995, pgs. 71-72

Diplomatic Doings

By Shawn L. Twing

Indonesian Minister Meets Muslims

Dr. H. Tarmizi Taher, Indonesia's Minister of Religious Affairs, met with a group of American Muslims during a June 3 reception at the Indonesian Embassy in Washington. The delegation was organized by the American Muslim Council and included academics, writers, educators, development workers and local professionals.

Taher, as minister of religious affairs, is responsible not only for 180 million Muslim citizens in Indonesia (which has the largest Muslim population in the world), but also the country's Christian, Hindu and Buddhist minorities. The minister noted that both the U.S. and Indonesia are diverse, multi-confessional nations and that the Muslims of each country must practice tolerance. Taher said that when he led President Bill Clinton on a tour of Jakarta's Istiqlal mosque during last fall's APEC summit, Clinton asked about the difference between Islam in Indonesia and Islam in the Middle East. "Mr. President," Taher replied, "there is only one Islam. But there are many different kinds of Muslims."

After the minister's meeting with American Muslims, Indonesian Ambassador Arifin Muhammad Siregar hosted a buffet dinner for the guests and members of Washington's Indonesian community.

Middle East Policy Council Holds Discussion On Clinton's Iran Policy

The Middle East Policy Council, whose chairman is former Senator George McGovern, held a discussion of U.S. policy toward Iran on May 25 in the national Capitol building in Washington, DC. Panelists Ellen Laipson, director of Near East and South Asian Affairs at the National Security Council; Gary Sick, director of the Gulf 2000 Project and principal White House aide for Iran during the 1979‚1981 hostage crisis; and Richard Cottam, Professor of Political Science Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh offered three distinct views of President Bill Clinton's April 30th announcement of a full U.S. trade embargo against Iran.

Ms. Laipson justified President Clinton's move as a necessary step to counter Iran's support for international terrorism, its pursuit of a nuclear weapons program, its buildup of conventional weapons, and its opposition to the Israel-PLO peace negotiations. Sick took a middle position, making a strong case for criticizing the Iranian government but arguing that the idea that the U.S., without the support of its allies, can bring down the Iranian government with a unilateral embargo is an "infantile pipe dream." Dr. Cottam was by far the most sympathetic toward Iran, maintaining that Iran's foreign policy actions are largely in response to actions by Israel and the United States. His central message was that Iran is not seeking to expand its role as much as it is attempting to protect itself from what it perceives to be American‚supported Israeli hegemony in the Middle East.

George Washington University Hosts Algerian, Tunisian Ambassadors

Tunisian Ambassador Azouz Ennifar, Algerian Ambassador Osmane Bencherif, and former U.S. Ambassador to Morocco Robert Neumann were speakers at a May 15 seminar entitled "Democracies' Response to Terrorism: the North African Experience," cosponsored by George Washington University's Terrorism Studies Program and the U.S. Global Strategy Council.

Ambassador Ennifar maintained that "terrorism has been removed from Tunisia for the present time." The principal factor contributing to this achievement, he said, is Tunisia's focus on developing its human and economic resources because "there can be no development without security, and there can be no security without development."

By contrast, Islamist violence has increased dramatically in Algeria since the government's decision to suspend elections in 1992 after it appeared certain that the Islamic Salvation Front (FIS) would win a majority of the vote. Since that time, Algeria has been caught in the grip of a campaign of violence that has included fatal attacks on policemen, soldiers, teachers, journalists, foreigners, and even women and young girls who do not wear the hijab (head scarf). Despite the grim headlines, Ambassador Bencherif maintained that "there is no sense of paralysis in Algeria." He argued that Islamism has peaked in Algeria, and that it should be viewed as a political and not a religious movement.

Ambassador Neumann, who also has been U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and to Saudi Arabia, spoke about terrorism in historical perspective. Central to his discussion was the notion that terrorism develops into a Catch-22 scenario because "the government loses if it does not win, and the insurgents win if they do not lose."

Chairman of the seminar, part of a continuing series, was Dr. Yonah Alexander, director of the Terrorism Studies program at George Washington University.

Foreign Correspondents Host Pakistani Ambassador

Pakistani Ambassador Maleeha Lodhi told members of the Foreign Correspondents Association that her country would welcome U.S. mediation in the Kashmir dispute. During a June 29 appearance at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., Ambassador Lodhi, a former journalist herself, said the primary influence on Pakistan's foreign policy is the "quest for our security."

The greatest threat to Pakistan's security stems from India, she said, noting that relations have been poor since the partition of India and creation of Pakistan in 1947. After India detonated an atomic weapon in 1974, Pakistan began to pursue its own nuclear capability and now is believed to have the ability to create and deliver a nuclear bomb. It is this belief that led to the cutoff of U.S. aid to Pakistan. This is mandated by an amendment introduced by U.S. Senator Larry Pressler (R-SD) which has marred U.S.-Pakistan relations since the end of the Cold War.

Ambassador Lodhi said Pakistan would be willing to "promote the goal of nuclear non-proliferation," but that it would have to be done "on an equitable and non-discriminatory basis." The Pakistani government has suggested that it would be willing to work toward a Nuclear Weapons-Free Zone in South Asia, but it would do so only in cooperation with India and China. That cooperation has not been forthcoming.

Ambassador Lodhi noted that it is the dispute over Kashmir and Jammu that has continued to exacerbate India-Pakistan relations. She said "Pakistan would welcome U.N., American, or any international mediation" in this matter, because "our relations with India demonstrate that the two countries have never succeeded in bilaterally resolving their disputes."

Persons wanting information about the Foreign Correspondents Association can contact its president, Abdulsalam Y. Massarueh, at P.O. Box 185, Washington, DC 20044-0185 or by telephone, (703) 591-0672.

Peres Speaks at CSIS

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres addressed a gathering of diplomats and journalists at the Center for Strategic and International Studies on June 1, in Washington, DC. Peres, who was accompanied by his longtime friend, former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, spoke about several issues related to the Israel-PLO peace process including negotiations with Syria, threats emanating from Iran's alleged pursuit of a nuclear weapons program, and Israeli-Jordanian relations.

During the discussion Peres stated that Middle East peace negotiators should try to be like bus drivers and keep their eyes on the road ahead without looking back at the passengers. His reasoning was that taking the time to look back only makes the passengers nervous and diverts the driver's attention from the road. Peres, one of the principal Israeli architects of the Oslo accord that led to the signing of the Declaration of Principles between the Israeli government and the PLO in September 1993, has been the quintessential bus driver.

Kuwait Parliamentarians Secure Congressional Cooperation on POWs

Three Kuwaiti parliamentarians representing the Kuwait-U.S. Parliamentary Friendship Committee concluded a week of official visits in Washington, DC with agreement by members of a U.S. congressional human rights subcommittee to hold a hearing on Kuwaiti POWs believed still to be held in Iraqi prisons. The hearing will take place in August in conjunction with the fifth anniversary of the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait.

The parliamentary delegation consisted of Nasser Al-Sane, chairman, Abdel Mohsen Jamal, deputy chairman, and Abdallah Al Shaiji, Kuwait National Assembly political adviser. They were accompanied by Kuwait Ambassador Mohammad Al-Sabah on a visit to White House Middle East adviser Ellen Laipson. On Capitol Hill they met with Rep. Curt Weldon (R-PA), who had accompanied a U.S. "Freedom Flight" which visited Kuwait in March 1991 immediately after its liberation.

Other members of Congress with whom they met included Representatives Gene Green (D-TX), Bill Baker (R-CA), Tom Lantos (D-CA), Jim Moran (D-VA), Greg Laughlin (D-TX), and House International Relations Committee chairman Benjamin Gilman (R-NY), who welcomed cooperation between the two parliaments and offered assistance in forming the parliamentary friendship committee.

The parliamentarians also met with U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Madeleine Albright, congressional staffers Kenneth Katzman, Alfred Prados, Beth Green and Ed Joyce, Arab-American Institute President James Zogby, National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations President John Duke Anthony, and Judith Kipper and Rosemary Nice from the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC.

Shawn L. Twing is the features editor of the Washington Report on Middle East Affairs.