October/November 1995, pg. 75

Diplomatic Doings

By Shawn L. Twing

Tunisian Foreign Minister Visits U.S.

Tunisian Foreign Minister Habib Ben Yahia completed a busy two-week visit to the United States by attending the Palestinian-Israeli signing ceremony at the White House. Prior to that, in a speech ushering in the 50th session of the United Nations in New York, he discussed U.N. involvement in the Middle East peace process and in Bosnia, and Tunisia's desire for a speedy and successful resolution in both areas.

Earlier in the week, Mr. Ben Yahia met with Secretary of State Warren Christopher, Robert Pelletreau, undersecretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs, and Dennis Ross, special coordinator for Middle East Peace Negotiations, to discuss bilateral relations and the Middle East peace process. On Capitol Hill he met with Senator Nancy Kassebaum (R-KS), who chairs the Senate Subcommittee on African Affairs, and Representative Jim Moran (D-VA), of the House International Relations Committee.

In addition, Mr. Ben Yahia visited and spoke at a number of policy-making organizations in Washington, D.C. including the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the American Heritage Foundation and the World Affairs Council. In Houston, Texas, he spoke about cooperation between North Africa and the European Union at the Baker Institute for Public Policy and was guest speaker at a luncheon in his honor at the Petroleum Club.

Lebanese Minister Discusses Travel Ban, Politics

Lebanese Minister of Immigration Ala Al-Khalil discussed the U.S. government's ban on travel to Lebanon and the current state of Lebanese politics with members of the Lebanese-American community during a Sept. 12 presentation hosted by the St. Georges Antiochian Orthodox Christian Church in Washington, DC. Mr. Al-Khalil conceded that, prior to 1990, the travel ban had been appropriate, but added that now "it is our mutual interest as Lebanese and as Americans to lift the travel ban."

In reference to the political status quo in Lebanon, Mr. Al-Khalil divided his remarks between Lebanon's role in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and an appraisal of efforts to establish a Middle East Common Market. Normalization of relations between Arabs and Israelis will, according to the minister, "hurt Lebanon the most if we are not prepared." He cited Israel's self-declared "security zone" in southern Lebanon as a barrier to Lebanese-Israeli normalization, saying that "the most important challenge [for Lebanon] is the liberation of our lands in the south from Israeli occupation."

Plans to establish a Middle East Common Market modeled after its European predecessor are not in Lebanon's best interests, according to Al-Khalil, because its design allows Israel to become "the nucleus of economic activity in the Middle East," supplanting Lebanon's previous key role in that capacity. Al-Khalil suggested that before normalization progresses, Arab countries should insist on a "land for peace" plan for Israeli withdrawal that includes Lebanon, and the enforcement of U.N. Security Resolution 425 that calls for the withdrawal of occupying forces from Lebanon.

Qatari Ambassador Marks National Day

Qatari Ambassador to the United States Sheikh Abdulrahman bin Saud Al Thani hosted a Sept. 18 reception at the Willard Hotel in Washington, DC marking his country's national day. It was the first such observance since the accession of Qatar's new ruler, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani. The Qatari ambassador, who completed his university graduate studies in the U.S. national capital in the early 1980s, noted that it also will be the last national day he hosts on his current tour of duty, which is scheduled to end in December. During his assignment Ambassador Al Thani has traveled extensively throughout the U.S. on speaking engagements and as a participant in university seminars on Middle Eastern affairs.