[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 145 (1999), Part 11]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 15364-15365]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                        WELCOMING HOSNI MUBARAK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. GARY A. CONDIT

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, June 30, 1999

  Mr. CONDIT. Mr. Speaker, today we were honored to welcome Hosni 
Mubarak, the President of the Arab Republic of Egypt, to Capitol Hill. 
A leader in the Arab world, President Mubarak is considered by many of 
us to be a friend and trusted ally.
  President Mubarak was awarded an honorary degree of laws by George 
Washington University during his Washington visit. In his remarks at 
the University's ceremony, President Mubarak stressed the importance of 
economic progress in Egypt. Under Mubarak's leadership, Egypt has 
implemented significant economic reforms, including economic 
privatization, revival of the stock exchange, and IMF and World Bank 
reform programs. President Mubarak also discussed the crucial role 
Egypt continues to play in the Middle East region as the first Arab 
country to make peace with Israel. As many of my colleagues know, Egypt 
has long been a strong ally of the U.S. and a force for stability in a 
volatile region of the world. President Mubarak was optimistic about 
the prospects for the peace process with the new Government in Israel.
  I would like to share with my colleagues President Mubarak's June 29, 
1999, address to a crowded assembly at George Washington University.

 Speech of H.E. President Mohamed Hosny Mubarak on the Occasion of the 
 Awarding of a Doctorate Honoris Causa, George Washington University, 
                             June 29, 1999

       President Trachtenberg, Faculty Members and Students of 
     George Washington University, Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a 
     great privilege to be with you today to receive this honorary 
     degree, from one of the leading centers of learning and 
     excellence of this great nation.
       For many years your institution has been dedicated to the 
     shaping of minds, the building of character through 
     knowledge, through study and the pursuit of truth. In this, 
     it has contributed to building a better world. But most 
     importantly it has helped in building the future; as each 
     mind, strong in its knowledge, richer in its humanity and 
     confident in its powers, reaches for its ambitions, to build 
     a better tomorrow of peace and well-being.
       In the Middle East we also seek a future of prosperity. 
     Over the years Egypt has strived to build a sustainable 
     peace. And for over twenty years, it showed the way. 
     Throughout we forged a path to conquer decades of enmity, of 
     wars, of grief, and wasted lives. On this path of trust, of 
     commitment to a just and lasting peace, we sought the respect 
     of the rights of all to legitimacy, to security and to the 
     pursuit of a prosperous future.
       The road ahead is still long and the obstacles many, but we 
     have seen the birth of a new hope. A new government in Israel 
     has come to power. It holds the promise of better days for 
     the peoples of Israel and Palestine.
       For over two decades, the United States and Egypt have 
     worked together. We have drawn from the deepest recesses of 
     our rich pasts, our cultures of peace, our traditions of 
     tolerance and commitment to prosperity to make a lasting 
     future happen.
       We built on the friendship that binds our two nations, to 
     bring together enemies, bridge suspicions, draft compromises, 
     and build the foundations of a lasting dialogue. And over the 
     years we have shown that the partnership that unites us, the 
     trust we have in each other can be the catalyst that will, 
     one day, one day soon, bring back tranquility to this holy 
     land.
       In Egypt, over twenty years ago, we turned the page on a 
     long history of wars. We turned our energies towards 
     rebuilding the Egypt that we have known throughout the 
     centuries. An Egypt that is strong and prosperous. One that 
     holds the promise that its sons and daughters are entitled 
     to. We rebuilt the infrastructure: the bridges, the roads, 
     the power, the water, the ports and the cities. We recreated 
     our society to seek progress in stability and in freedom, in 
     growth and most of all in peace.
       In the early nineties, we restored the financial balances 
     that will usher us into the twenty-first century. A strong 
     economy, open to the world, liberal, market driven and caring 
     for the welfare of all its people. We built the institutions, 
     drafted the laws, and trained the people so that we may join 
     the world in its prosperity. We have come a long way, and 
     look forward, with confidence, to a longer way still, to 
     reach a society that is equal to the challenges ahead.
       We worked to integrate the world economy, join its ranks, 
     seek its rules and abide by them. We opened our markets, and 
     freed our trade. We welcomed investment and shared our 
     resources. We are building our economy to the scale of global 
     competition.
       But the challenges ahead have changed in the last few 
     years. A world economy of closeness, of open borders and of 
     shared prosperity has given way to instability and hardship. 
     In country after country, long years of development have 
     vanished when investor sentiments changed in far away 
     markets. The global economy of the twenty first century 
     will bring us closer together, but it can also push us 
     further apart. Now more than ever before global prosperity 
     has come to rely on the welfare of each one of us. But can 
     this really be so? Can we really build our world on a 
     culture of cooperation?
       Doubt has seeped in many a mind. Can we really rely on each 
     other for our common prosperity? Will this global economy be 
     an economy of shared responsibility, of common purpose and 
     common means? This last year has seen efforts to change our 
     global institutions to better our dialogue and to join 
     efforts in development. A few weeks ago, the group of eight 
     industrial nations agreed to

[[Page 15365]]

     share the burden of debt of the poorest countries. Will it 
     also agree to share its affluence with them? We have all 
     embraced market forces as the guide of our development. But 
     we must harness them to serve our common purpose. The global 
     economy stands at a crossroads between a polar world of rich 
     and poor and a true partnership for a common future.
       Let our children say one day that when we had to choose, we 
     chose the difficult path but we chose well and most of all, 
     we chose together.
       But our reforms must not be just economic, they must reach 
     deep into our societies. They must reach into our civil 
     institutions, our political structures, our human capital and 
     our intellectual regeneration.
       Economic reform and the gradual liberalization of markets 
     all over the world reduced the role of governments. They also 
     opened up unlimited prospects and frontiers for both the 
     private and the voluntary sectors. Each of them is now a full 
     partner with the government in setting policies and in 
     implementing them. In Egypt, we have encouraged this 
     partnership for the benefit of all citizens.
       Today our private sector stands at the forefront of our 
     efforts to modernize and grow. Egypt's spirit of private 
     initiative has been revived. And this spirit is allowing 
     people to pursue their dreams, to realize their full 
     potential and to play an active part in building their 
     future.
       The Egyptian Government has learned, through hard 
     experience, that its role is that of a regulatory, a 
     facilitator, a guarantor of basic rights, and a provider of 
     urgent help for those who are in need during the difficult 
     period of transition. Above all, it is responsible for 
     encouraging and protecting an environment in which the 
     private sector can create jobs, wealth, goods and services. 
     With these, come stability, security, and a sense of shared 
     responsibility that is the essence of human society.
       And at the forefront of the institutions of civil society, 
     stand political participation and the extension of democracy 
     and accountable government.
       The road to democracy is a long one, and we travel it with 
     confidence. We have not turned back under the most difficult 
     conditions, economic hardships, social pressure, malicious 
     terrorism and narrow-minded intolerance. And we will not turn 
     back, nor will our belief in the rule of law be shaken. We 
     will work towards consolidating our democracy gradually, 
     steadily, and in the spirit of tolerance and cooperation that 
     is known of the Egyptian people.
       But civil society is about much more than parliamentary 
     democracy. It is about complementing good government and 
     creating communities with shared values. For many centuries, 
     the voluntary sector in Egypt played a crucial role in 
     binding our society together, even during some of the hardest 
     times. The spirit of charity and compassion advocated by 
     Christianity since the Holy Family's journey in ancient 
     Egypt, and the strong message of sharing carried forward by 
     Islam fourteen centuries ago, have both endowed our society 
     with a deep sense of civil responsibility. Today, as a result 
     of falling boundaries all over the world, a global agenda for 
     social development is being put forward. Our voluntary sector 
     must be involved in the setting of such agenda and in playing 
     an active part in its implementation.
       Our success in redirecting our economy and reviving our 
     civil institutions is real. It is tangible and we build on 
     it. But what is the value of success if it is not based on 
     human dignity? Indeed, can there be any success if the human 
     being is neglected?
       The only long term guarantee of sustainable development, 
     the main source of value and competitiveness, is investment 
     in human capital. Egypt's history and ancient civilization 
     taught us this reality. For thousands of years, investment in 
     human capital was the cornerstone of every success. It 
     allowed pyramids to be built, rivers to be tamed, innovations 
     to be discovered, and art to flourish.
       Our investment in human capital has been in all fields. It 
     covers education, health and basic services. It aims at 
     preserving the environment, encouraging creative thinking and 
     maintaining family values. It is conscious and respectful of 
     human rights in the most comprehensive sense. Human rights 
     which include every individual's right to freedom of speech, 
     of expression and intellectual fulfillment, the right to a 
     happy childhood, to a productive life and a peaceful 
     retirement, to a decent environment, basic services, shelter, 
     and food. Moreover, it aims at building cultural bridges with 
     people throughout the world.
       But beyond this, the key to our basic development is the 
     status and role of women in our society. For this we have 
     used every means to improve women's share in education, in 
     health services, in job opportunities, and in leading a 
     fulfilling life as members of a family, a community and a 
     country.
       But the true essence of Egypt's endurance and prosperity 
     over the centuries, is the sense of belonging to one 
     community. One nation founded on equal worth and equal rights 
     for every individual. Throughout the centuries, Egypt 
     sheltered people from every origin, background, creed and 
     race. Their traditions and cultures, their habits and customs 
     have melted to form one people. This is a country where all 
     are equal in law, in practice and in spirit, men and women, 
     peasants and urban dwellers, rich and poor, regardless of 
     their creed or beliefs.
       Since the dawn of time, Egypt's position in the world, its 
     natural resources and cultural diversity have allowed her to 
     be at the crossroads of civilization. The same is true today. 
     We have built a country of the twenty-first century that has 
     bridged millennia of history with a boundless future, the 
     traditions of old and the energy of youth. We have blended 
     economic reform and social balance, western progress and 
     eastern values. A haven between a prosperous North and a 
     South full of promise. We seek to modernize by embracing 
     change and not defying it, centered around human nature 
     selfless and self-interested, cooperative and competitive all 
     at once.
       We are a country that has found its balance. We will share 
     it in friendship with all.
       In this place of learning, in this place of excellence, you 
     foster sharing, understanding, and tolerance. You bring forth 
     the future like we do in reform. And in the end we must join 
     hands, for the many lives we change, will one day, shape the 
     century to come in the image of our dreams.
       Thank you very much.

       

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