This Week
FORUM
from page 17
ber of the Arab-American community who did not
wish to be identified said Arafat's name was not used
in discussion because many in the Palestinian commu-
nity see him as an artifact of past times who should
step aside.
However, he said, the more the Sharon government
and the American Jewish community vilify Arafat, the
more the Palestinians rally to his support.
the same views on how to achieve peace between the
Israelis and the Palestinians, if the speakers at the
forum are an indication of the feeling in the region,
there is a view that Israel is here to stay."
A discordant note, however, was sounded by Prince
Saud Al-Faisal, foreign minister of Saudi Arabia. He
said, "Promises of security offered by [the] current
Israeli government are far from being fulfilled. This is
due to the policies and practices adopted by that gov-
ernment, which has deviated from dialogue and nego-
tiation and opted for repression, persecution and polit-
ical assassinations as an approach that subverted all
proposed initiatives and proposals aimed at solving the
Palestinian issue, including the Arab peace initiative
and the road map."
Prince Al-Faisal said implementation of the road
map had been hindered because of "imbalance in
infamous United Nations conference in 2000 that
linked Zionism with racism.
Jews To The Rescue
Barely three weeks before the U.S.-Arab Economic
Forum was to begin, the organizers realized they need-
ed help.
They were hosting an event involving more than
1,000 people and including several gala dinners with
heads of state, cabinet members, princes and CEOs.
`Polite' For Powell
And they were not satisfied with the group organizing
The heads of state dinner at Detroit's Cobo Hall on
the details.
Tuesday evening opened with moderator and WJR
There were dinner arrangements to be made —
Radio host Paul W. Smith recounting his grandfather's
ordering flowers and linens, creating seating charts sen-
arrival on Ellis Island from Lebanon more than 75
sitive to who sits next to whom, hiring videographers
years ago.
and lighting technicians.
Smith, in turn, honored another child of Middle
It was party planning on a grand scale, so
Eastern immigrants when he introduced guest speak-
someone recommended September Moon
er U.S. Secretary of Energy Spencer Abraham.
Production Network in Southfield, whose
Keynote speaker Secretary of State Colin Powell is
president-executive producer is Rosalind
also a child of immigrants — from Jamaica.
Lullove Cooperman.
While Powell was greeted warmly, the majority
September Moon's credentials include
Arab audience often responded only politely rather
planning for the soccer opening ceremonies
than enthusiastically to his remarks, especially on
at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta and the
issues concerning Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian situ-
World Cup opening ceremonies in 1994.
anon.
What the forum organizers didn't know
"There is no more important task then building a
was that the owner was Jewish.
new Middle East that is peaceful, prosperous and
"When I said I was Jewish, they first
free," Powell said.
opened their eyes," Cooperman said.
He stressed the importance of jobs, education, free-
"Then they smiled. They got it.
dom of religion and the rule of law in the rebuilding,
"All of us involved felt a general warmth
of Iraq. The United States had mobilized against ter-
and appreciation of our talent," she said. "I
rorism, he said, and Iraq now is free of Saddam.
never felt that being Jewish was a negative."
But when Powell said, "What is most important
Cooperman and her partner, Woody
now is that Iraq is on the road to democratic self-
Robertson, vice president and creative
rule," the faces in the audience were somber. People
director, had more than 100 people work-
did not applaud.
ing at the conference in the Renaissance
Powell defended President George W Bush's policy Nasser Beydoun of the American Arab Chamber of Commerce
Center and at the state dinner at Cobo
in Iraq, which is "not to hand off the government too accepted the congratulations of a friend.
Hall.
quickly without time to write a constitution, hold
"This is how I spent my Rosh
elections and put good governance into practice.
Hashanah,"
says
Cooperman, who hadn't missed a
assigning the commitments and the insurmountable
Then we will leave as liberators."
Jewish
New
Year
service before. "I worked for peace."
conditions of Israel under the pretext of attaining secu-
He emphasized to this international audience, "Iraq
Cooperman says she and her staff shared the sweet-
rity.
needs trade, investments and you."
ness of the New Year with apples and honey in their
"While the Palestinians have gone as far as they
But trade is not enough, he concluded. "We must
Renaissance Center office.
could
in
setting
the
appropriate
environment
to
forge
empower people with skills, finances and freedom. But
And when Arabs involved in the conference came by,
ahead
with
the
peace
process
and
declaring
a
Unilateral
there's a limit to what the United States can do. We
she
explained the tradition and they, too, dipped apples
six-week truce," he said, "Israel met all this with
can open the door, but you [Arabs] must walk
in
the
honey.
provocative measures such as political assassinations,
through it."
building of the security wall and expanding settle-
ments."
Optimism For The Future
The Saudi foreign minister also spoke of "certain
A Discordant Note
"For every billion dollars we create in business, we cre-
forces in Washington — and you know who they are
Several members of the local Jewish community
ate 20,000 new jobs," said Nasser Beydoun, executive
..."
as
impeding
peace.
He
joked
that
"the
Arabs
didn't
attended the forum. Among them was Steve
director of the American-Arab Chamber of Commerce,
know how to build bombs that blow up buildings
Silverman, president of the Jewish Community
one of the forum's organizers.
until the Israelis taught them," and he called the wall
Council of Metropolitan Detroit.
And business deals were being made, both in public
'being built by the Israelis an "apartheid wall."
"If the things that were said come to pass, there is a
and
private. On Tuesday morning, members of the
But Al-Faisal was the exception, Silverman said. "It
real potential for improving life in the Middle East,"
Palestinian
delegation met at the offices of Miller,
was certainly no Durbin," he said, referring to the
Silverman said. 'Although we frequently don't share
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2003
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