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VIEWPOINT

A DoorKnock for dialogue

This year’s AmCham Egypt DoorKnock mission to the United States, built around a series of meetings in Washington, D.C. between April 29 and May 4, comes at a critical point in our history. Not since the Gulf War has Egypt’s role as strategic US partner in regional affairs been so pivotal. Nor has our economy been as threatened as now, post-September 11, when regional peace and stability seem such elusive goals. Our country’s future, as well as that of our neighbors, relies on peace – the peace that Egypt actively helped secure and has consistently fostered these last several decades.

A just solution for the conflict in Palestine is a necessary prelude to regional prosperity, and one that carries global significance for the elimination of terrorism. But no matter what the conflict, finding a solution above all demands understanding.

Egypt has struggled to overcome the effects of long-term regional unrest. As a nation that has suffered the assassination of a president at the hands of terrorists; that has seen too many lives lost and livelihoods destroyed because of terrorism’s devastating economic impact; as a nation that is struggling to reform its administration and revive its economy in the midst of a series of national and international catastrophes – Egypt understands.

This year’s AmCham Egypt DoorKnock mission, entitled “Egypt: The Strategic Partner,” will underline the private sector’s experience in Egypt – especially since September 11 – while stressing the business community’s commitment to the future of our country and the region. The delegation will emphasize that despite a backdrop of regional conflict and uncertainty, Egypt’s government and private sector alike intend to move forward to ensure the well-being of nearly 70 million individuals – most of them young, many of them educated, all of them anxious to work to improve their prospects. The task of the business community is to maximize their opportunities and productivity.

Our country’s main income generators have suffered severe shocks in recent months, and regional tensions continue to disrupt businesses of all kinds. AmCham Egypt’s DoorKnock 2002 delegates are calling for peace and stability in the Middle East – a condition that is vital for all of AmCham Egypt’s members and for the Egyptian private sector as a whole. As part of this effort, we will discuss possible new avenues of cooperation.

But above all, we will emphasize the need for ongoing dialogue and greater understanding. When tensions erupt and anger becomes a destructive force, there are always reasons – and they are seldom simple. Yet in a world where economic and political realities are perfectly fused, the stakes are higher than ever, and so is the price for misunderstanding and lack of action.

Albert Einstein, a man used to grappling with far-ranging and complex questions, once observed: “Problems cannot be solved by the same level of thinking that created them.” Perhaps nothing is so important for our DoorKnock mission this year as conveying our point of view and seeking a new way of collective thinking.

A willingness to identify the reasons for terrorist acts has nothing to do with justification but everything to do with stopping such attacks from happening again. The solutions that we seek must go beyond politics and economics in order to become human solutions, endowed with the necessary breadth of understanding to accomplish change.

I believe that the hopes and desires of Americans and Egyptians are the same as those of people the world over – to live in peace and prosperity. Whatever course our governments may follow, AmCham Egypt, as the leading representative of Egypt’s business community, will continue to work for these aims. This year’s DoorKnock mission represents an opportunity to deepen the dialogue between Egypt and the United States, to renew commitments and to work towards our common goals.

Mohamed L. Mansour
President, AmCham Egypt

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