IN NEW YORK

16 December 2003

Dr. Bouthaina Shaaban : 

Thank you                                                                                                        

  I am  very glad to be with you this afternoon and I would like to share with you few ideas which I believe are bringing different assessments of the same situation. I do believe that the reason that we have a different assessment of the same situation is the fact that we are exposed to different facts. I believe if we are exposed to the same facts most of you will reach the same conclusion. That what we believe that we need today  is to communicate better, and to talk to each other in a more sincere way. That probably would help all of us.

  Coming from the Middle East I believe that our region are passing now through a very difficult juncture.  In fact I believe that the time is very difficult not only for our region, but for all of us. Especially that this region has searched in many ways as the present of the world situation in general.

   Why must I urge you that the war on terrorism has brought more security to the United states, and took the world in terror further assail. We in the Middle East believe that the war on terrorism perhaps in adversity has broadened the base of the terrorism. Has made the terrorism mushroom in many capitals and in many cities of the world. It has made most of us feel less secure, has engraved more fear in the heart of people everywhere. And therefore, I think all of us have to think more deeply about what can be done facing the situation, what can we do in order to ensure that the war on terrorism doesn’t get peace counter to the active results. But before doing that we have to ask ourselves why did we get here??

     And I would like to share with you few ideas that I have. I believe one of the reasons we get here is that the war on terror seems to polarize people, courtiers and religions into a one stand or another. Muslims are terrorist. Arab countries are helping for terrorism. Setting western situation as a model democracy against  third world countries which mean to be civilize, reformed, democratized, whatever,  and I'm doing so crashing the people of the middle ground who are always the best guarantee for dialogue among cultures, among religions, among nations.

      The second reason I believe is the discrepancy prevailing between graduate and reality. Why in the Middle East we fear all the talk about security, justice, democracy, the liberation of women. What actually takes place on the ground is the logic of the use of force who other has military force has the say, and who doesn’t have the military force can be killed and crashed.

     I brought some newspaper with me, unfortunately, to show you what you never see here in the United States.  Iraqi men for example being rounded up  with humiliating plastic bends over their heads, with their hands and legs tied twenty, thirty of them with two American soldier men where guiding them. The question at least we ask: their hands and legs were tied, why to put  plastic bands on their heads. The one word we all think of in the Middle East nowadays is "humiliation". That is a key word. That is what we feel. We do feel humiliated by this way of dealing with things.

    The other factor in this war on terrorism is to establish this kind of "pre-emptive" policy that we have to fight a war in order to prevent something from happening. Or people being killed because they thought to be planning to make an operation. This is absolutely amazing when we read the language of killing people on suspicion of intend. Reminding you this is a daily practice of what is happening to the Palestinians today. Before the war on Iraq, Syria argued that the way to establish peace and security in the Middle East is to start with the Middle East conflict, is to start with solving the Middle East conflict which will necessarily help in combating terrorism, in facing the situation in Iraq, in undermining the dictatorship and  in paving the way for freedom. Of course, we were not listening to on the war on Iraq as you all know took place, and I think that the results are bad for all of us.

   Today I believe that we stand in one boat; we have either to swim or to seal together. I think fear now is taking whole in all of us, and I believe that the happiest people nowadays are the terrorist who are gaining more ground, and who are gaining more support.

      For Arabs and Muslims liberal minded people who have been fighting for years against Muslims fundamentalism, it is absolutely shocking to be put in the same basket with the Muslims fundamentalists, and to long all Arabs and Muslims together. The mere idea of accusing a country of being a terrorist country, or a nation or a race or a group of religious people, there is something wrong with that in that isn’t there??

  In Islam there is a very good verse in the Koran that says:

"و لا تزر وازرة  وزر أخرى"    which means no one can be blame for something that another person does. Even if he is your father, your brother, or your sister. It is very common in the Arab world to find someone who is a socialist, and another who is a conservative. It is common to have two sisters one of them is absolutely veiling and the another to be walking without a veil. So, how could we utter such assessment.

      I believe at the dangerous time we cannot engaged in determination, and in distributing blames to each other. We have to look forward and to be positive. And in order to look forward and to be positive and I think we have to change this strategy. We have to have a different way of thinking. And I would like to share with you what happened with me two weeks ago. Two weeks ago the foreign affairs Minster of the Great Britain, told the Muslim community in Britain that the Muslim community has to chose between the British way of dialogue and the Islamic way of terrorism. That was on the first page on the Guardian. I am a columnist, I write columns in four Arab newspapers. So I wrote a column asking him and I said, that not only Muslims have to stand against this being said , but all western people had to stand against this kind of mentality, because it is this kind of mentality that is giving the ground for terrorism, that is supporting terrorism. And we all have to fight that, because this is unbelievable, and the only strategy against terrorism is to change this frame of mind.

    As I was traveling from Damascus to London on Saturday , at the six of December, of the same of the Guardian the same foreign office Minster said that Roman Proudy has to go to Italy. He is not good for the European Union. You see, it is a state of mind, not only against Muslims or Arabs, it is against everyone who doesn’t agree. So I believe at this dangerous moment in history, we are all in the same boat, men and women, Arabs and Muslims, Americans and Europeans and Africans, we are all in the same boat. And the only thing we can do that is going to be very useful is to speak to each other as a human beings. To deal with each other in a dignity. I am sure things do not reach you as they happen in our region, because if they do you would take a very different stand. I am sure that you would not accept to see houses with soldiers entering in, violating everything for every being. I am sure none of you would accept to know that two hundreds and fifty Palestinians children under the age of ten, has been deliberately killed in the last three years. I said deliberately, because the shot was in the head, or in the chest. No one of you would accept to know that ten thousands Palestinians houses had been destroyed in the last three years. And you have only to ask what happen to the ten thousands Palestinians families. Two hundred thousands olive trees were uprooted  in the last three years. The big wall is being build nowadays. The  Israeli peace now has published ten days ago that two hundreds and thirty two settlements, new settlements are being planned on the Palestinian territories.

     The only logic that leads to all this is the logic of military force. And we said many times that the policy of Sharon is the policy of military force. He announced that he wants to break the will of the Palestinians.

      History teaches all of us that people everywhere in the world fought against occupation, and fought for freedom. And people will continue to do that. In Palestine, in Iraq, every in the world they will continue to do that.

   I will talk briefly on Syrian - American relations before I would love to listen to you. As my host has mentioned that Syria was the one of the first countries that cooperate with the United States on the war against terrorism. The Syrian cooperation has saved American lives in seven instances. I do not know how many of you have read Simor Hersh who wrote in the New Yorker , who wrote about this, and president Assad spoke about this, and secretary Paul and senior American officials spoke about this.

   The question I want to ask how could Syrian be a country that cooperates against terrorism, and how it could be a country  that harbor terrorism. I believe that Syria and the Untied States have a lot in common. Syria is a very important Arab country with historical and cultural wit. If the objective of the United States is to create peace and stability and security in the Middle East Syria is very active and very ready to do so. But if the objective is to maintain occupation and settlement then we will have a different story. I met with some one from the partner two days ago before I departed here, and he said that the United States cannot do anything,  it is apt to the Palestinians and the Israelis to start a peace process and he asks me what could the United States do in this very difficult situation!! And I said president Bush said that this wall is no good and that people who are trying to make peace shouldn’t build walls. The listing the United States could do is not to use Vito against this wall.

     One of the issues that we always notice is the underestimation of the intelligence of the people there. You know, I am telling you how the message  is coming to us, but probably is not intended to be so, but this is how it gets to us. It gets to us that  these Iraqi people are neither civilized nor cultural nor intelligent. It is about a hundred and fifty people crossing the borders from Syria. you know, there are twenty two millions Iraqi who have never in their history accepted history, what about them. So, why this expectation that these Iraqis would accept to be occupied and would not fight occupation, and it is only Syria and Iran and Turkey that are making trouble.  The assumption is not correct there.

      Syria cooperated with the United States in controlling the borders, in not allowing of any of the Iraqi regime to get there, in trying to cooperate with Huzballah to keep the borders with Israel and Lebanon. And we received many thanks from the Congress men and from the secretary of state.

     The final thank we received is the Syrian Accountability Act. For all what we have done. We really wonder what is going on and why is this going on.

    The other point I want to say is that what is happening in the region is not only against the interests of Arabs and people in the region, it is against the interests of the American people. Why should America, why should the US, the supper power in the world not being welcomed?  Why should the United States  build its embassies with a huge walls?? It is the wall of trust that should be built. It is the wall of love, the wall of confidence that should be built. And I assure you that Arab people, Muslim people do not hold American people responsible for what is happening. They do not even hold the interior administrations responsible for what is happening. They understand that there are different forces that are struggling with decision making. We all the time acknowledge that peaceful forces in the United States, in Israel, we never speak along religious liners, or ethnics liners. The one question which you will never ask in Syria is what is your religion, because we are multi-confessional society it is extremely impolite question in our culture to ask. All Muslims, Jews and Christians there is no religious problem in the region. There is a political problem. There is a problem of occupation, of settlement. And there is the basic problem of "humiliation". That is the basic problem. "Dignity" is the key for all of us. That is the word that making all forces get together in the region against liberal, western democratic ways of thinking.

    I believe, in order to be together, you know, when president Bush gave his speech about democracy, and about the rights of women, I really smiled in front of the television, my grand mothers  were writers, merchants, business women. The first merchant woman in history, I believe was the Prophet Muhammad’s wife, Khadijjeh, she was the first business women. I think those of you who visited Syria would know that Syrian women are everywhere. Sixty percent of the employee in my Ministry are women. At least sixty percent of  Professors in my department are women. At least sixty percent of the University students are women. Hassanah Mardam Bei, my advisor here, she recruited women, recruited people to our department, to our Ministry. The problem we have is that we have  too many women. They are so good in languages, in culture they are so good. Every body keeps saying to me that I have too many women in my work. And to see, you know, a western person speaking about the right of women in the Arab T.Vs makes us smile really. We have a good personality of women. We have women ministers, ambassadors, business women, and every where. But the one thing about women in Syria that we enjoy a lot is that you find Syrian women in the streets at two o’clock in the morning walking in the roads. There is no problem, it is a very safe country for the women as well, which is a very good for us. So, what I am saying is that we come from different cultures, we come from different world, we have to communicate with each other better. We have to understand each other better. There are things in my country we do not want to change. You know, there are many people asking us are you changing? There is a slow informs in Syria why couldn’t they found. We have a state in reform. I interrupt saying that it is our country. You know, we have a state, we have a reform. We have a state  in doing things better. And we are ,certainly , intelligent enough to be able to handle our affairs. I want to cannot see why should the US to be more kin on political reform in Syria than Syrian people. And there are so many believes in my culture that we do not want to change at all. At one point the Syrian Agriculture Minster  takes a decision that not to buy any fertilizer to our country, you know what the result is?? All our food is organic food, it is  beautiful. The fruit smells fruit and the vegetable smell vegetable, and it is beautiful. Why should we change this?? In fact we are fighting that the counter ship the European countries do not change our food and our vegetables, and our fruits.

     So, that is the way we would love to talk to each other, to accept differences,  and to deal with each other in respect, and to try and build a better world. And we are always fighting against fundamentalism, and fundamentalism is not confined to Islam. There is Jewish fundamentalism. There is Christian fundamentalism, and there is Muslims fundamentalism. And I will live you with this example: when Rabin was killed, and there were articles about Rabin and I wrote one, they said that he was killed by a Jewish extremist. When Anal Lind was killed they said that Ana Lind probably killed by a Christian conservative or fundamentalist. But when Baker al-Hakeem was killed in Iraq he was killed by a Muslim terrorist. So, when a Muslim kills he is a terrorist, but when a Christian or a Jewish kill a person it is an extremist, a conservative or whatever.

    So, I just invite you to think more, I invite you to read. Although I can see in American media you cannot see too much really about what is happening in the Middle East. I read the Herald Tribune, the Los Angles time, the New York time and I try to publish more, but I wonder why should American writers be, you know, the formulators of  opinions and not have more voices from the region?? Why not have more writers from the Middle East?? There are hundreds of writers who write a beautiful English, and who is willing to publish and to telling you what we think in the Middle East. But we have no chances.

     So, I believe the only thing we have to do, the most urgent thing we have to do is to create better ways of communications. To see each other more. To talk to each other more. To try and explain each other more, what are the problems we are facing, and how we can build a better world, because we do not believe that any people can live in isolation of another. We have to build a better secure people for all of us. That is why those who argue the security of Israel I say you have to argue for the security of all the countries in the region. Because unless we are all secure no one can be secure. Thank you very much.

Question: from your perspective what is your practical  active role do you want to talk after nine eleven??

Answer: my first action, you remember after nine eleven I think every country in the world was expressed support and compassion for what happened here. I think the one thing that couldn’t be banned is not to try and attribute terrorism to any religion or any nation. Is to try and look for liberal-minded, moderate forces all over the world. Not to speak in the language ‘you are either with us or against us’ . you know, to speak in a language that all the moderate forces everywhere, in every country, in every religion and to pull with these forces a real battle against terrorism. And I know the political sphere so many countries in the world were prepared to work in such a way.

Question: what is the stand of the majority of Syrians to what the American doing in Iraq. Do they want it to stay, finish or what??

Answer: I think Syria, and the Syrian people, stand with the majority of people and countries in the world that probably the United Nations. Of course, at the beginning we were against the war. We would prefer the war not happened. But as the war did happen, and as there is such a difficult trend for the Iraqi people and for the United States,  the Syria people believe that the best solution come through the United Nation where countries put a certain force, or a certain mechanism in order to convey the authority to the Iraqi people within a time that could prepare the authority in Iraq to be able to draft the Iraqi constitution. To give the Iraqi people a share to draft their own constitution, and to help them to elect their government, and then to leave.

Question: When there were the American sanctions on Iraq people weren’t able to work, to get jobs, how do you respond to that Iraqi Seddam Hussein regime did not respond to the US sanctions???

Answer: well, really,  I do not know what to say to that. You know, if you read the Independent, the British Independent, in November said that at least on every level the Iraqi people were three times worse of now than they were under Saddam. There is a chaos in Iraq. There is no security. Women cannot go out their houses. Children have been kidnapped from school. So, we believe we argued in the Security Council, we went four times to New York in February alone. And we argued that it is not the war that can give a solution. The solution war creates problems. Solutions can be found in a different way. The sanctions are the one that kept Saddam that long . That what Syria was arguing. That if you leave the sanctions Saddam will fall, that is because there is one guarantee to weaken the Iraqi people to a maximum extent and strengthen Saddam. That is what the sanctions did.

Question: this question regarding Lebanon.

Answer:  Lebanon is an Arab country, and we have a very strong relationships with Lebanon. And looking at the United States, you know, I have been told that California is the fourth economy in the world, and yet it is part of the United States. You know, so the Arab world really, even if they have friendly relations with one another this is not allowed to have a friendly relations with one another, we have to put borders, and we have to draw liners, and we have to dissect our countries to so many pieces as they did  in Mantin County. I think we should be allowed to – the Lebanese and the Syrian people – to put their relations in the best way they feel appropriate.

Question: with the situation with Israel – Palestine, what is the thing that Syria will find acceptable for the Jewish settlement in the region??

Answer: I would like to answer you that not only Syria find it acceptable provided the Israeli occupations of all our countries including the Golan is ended. All Arab countries put a proposal on the table on map in 2002,  they would all begin normal relations with Israel if Israel withdraw to the lines of 1967. it is not the issue if Arab would accept Israel it is the issue whether Israel would leave any Palestinian identity on the ground. That is the problem we are facing.

Question: if the Palestinian issued, do you think that there is going to have any other major crisis, terrorism in our time?

Answer: No, I would likely, now,  to be wearing the hat of the intellectual rather than the politician. I really believe that the logic of using the force is the major source for terrorist, really. But in the Middle East I think, I worked on peace for ten years and I can’t  tell believing that we succeeded to achieve peace in the Middle East. The ground for terrorist would received. And if a different language is used, you know, in talking and in dealing with people then all against the ground of terrorism would receive. I think moderate, liberal-minded, democratic people were been undermined in the Arab Muslim world. Because of this kind of approach that put all people in one basket. Put Western civilization above Eastern civilization take the role of someone who is lecturing people and teaching them how to live, and how to think, in addition to the logic of force humiliating people. People are feel underestimated, and I think this is very bad for all of us.

Question: For a supper power like the United States, and a country like Syria, the interests of the United States are to be served with the propose of the Israeli government. The second part of the question, we understand that the Syrian government helped the United States government to save American lives, how come this administration  to be act in this way??

Answer: well, let me start with the second part of the question. I think here there is a cultural difference, you know. I think in the Arab world, in Syria certainly, you do something and you do not ask for anything in return. And I think  it is a different mentality, and if it were me I would say ‘O.K. I will help you on the war against terrorism, but if you do this or that for us.’  you know, we don’t say that. And unfortunately, we got the threat after world, but nonetheless the cooperation is still going on against terrorism, and Syria was a victim of terrorism since 1970s.

   And it is cooperating with terrorism against terrorism. You know, it would cooperate with any one. This is the point of principle. We would continue to cooperate against terrorism with the United States. And I might let you know that even in this moment we are cooperating with the United States against terrorism, despite the fact that there is the Syrian Accountability Act, because we believe that terrorism is a trend to all of us, and we have to cooperate against it in all circumstances.

    The first part of the question we certainly believe that the Israeli element is an important part of the American politics in the Middle East, and an important part, unfortunately, in Syrian-American relations, because we cannot see really the point of illuminating Syria. In fact, in the United States very best interest to invest Syria and to get the help of Syria in Iraq. The Syrian and the Iraqi people are the closest people. Syria is a secular society, is a multi-confessional, multiethnic society. It is just like the United States. We have everything in common with each other.

   However, I believe those who believe that by threatening Syria are serving the Israel they are in the wrong track doing this service even to the Israeli interests.  Again, we are as people in the region we are all in the same boat, as I said. We have to create security for all of us. And I might remind you of the peace activist in Israel of the four directors of Shendy of the twenty five pilots who refused to shell Palestinians because they believe that what is happening, the policy of the Israeli government now is dangerous to the future of Israel, to the Israeli themselves. So, I think a different orientation has to be found. And a different policy has to be persuade. And only the United States can take the leadership and do something real to change course in the region.

Question: I would like to know, what is the Syrian government attitude towards the US-Iranian relationships??

Answer: well, first of all I think we find it amazing that every country in the region is being  picked up for the WND except Israel that possesses all kinds of weapons, of mass destruction weapons. So, I think this harms the credibility of the United States in the region, the policy of the United States in the region. That if the United States is against WND why not treat all countries equally??! Particularly, Israel is the one that occupies the Arab territories. And if I may remind you that Syria submitted a draft to security council three months ago requesting the council to make the Middle East a zone free of mass destruction weapons. And it is the United States that prevented us from pursuing this resolution. However, we are happy to see that Iran is trying to negotiate its way. And, you know,  to do something the European that is probably wise to try and verb another crisis in the Middle East. We don’t need other crisis, we need better solutions.

Question: The project for new American century was vision in 1997, how do you respond to it??

Answer: what do you respect me to respond to, you know. I really believe that a different way of thinking has to be found both for the good of the  United States, and for all of us, really. Because this will not get anywhere. I think we have to read more history. To learn more from history. So that we  take better steps■