Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, December 1997, p. 67
Arab American Activism
THE ARAB AMERICAN Institute hosted a Sept. 7-8 national summit in Washington, DC, for Arab-American leaders on the eve of Secretary of State Madeleine Albright’s first visit to the Middle East. More than 60 Arab-American organization leaders and community activists representing 25 organizations and 15 states gathered in the nation’s capital to address four main issues: the dangerous drift of Congress toward increasingly pro-Israel positions, the erosion of the peace process, the dangers facing Lebanon, and escalating threats to Arab Americans’ civil rights. A consensus statement calling on the Clinton administration to pursue a just and balanced peace in the region, to re-engage Lebanon in peace talks, and to consider the humanitarian needs of the Iraqi people, was presented to National Security Adviser Samuel (Sandy) Berger and Undersecretary of State Thomas Pickering, as well as to members of Congress during meetings on Capitol Hill. In addition, an open letter to Secretary Albright signed by several Arab-American and other organizations was printed in several major newspapers in the Arab world, which followed the Secretary of State as she traveled throughout the region. The Summit conferees were briefed by Mohamad Chatah, ambassador of Lebanon, Representative Nick Rahall, II (D-WV), National Security Council Senior Director of Near East and South Asian Affairs Bruce Riedel, and counsel to U.S. Senator Spencer Abraham (R-MI) Randa Fahmy Hudome. For copies of the statement issued at the Summit, contact the Arab American Institute at (202) 429-9210, or 918 Sixteenth St., NW, Suite 601, Washington, DC 20006.
—Amanda Hartford
