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Tuesday, 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 and 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 it 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 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 suspicion. 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 Egypt that we have known throughout the centuries. Egypt that is strong and prosperous. One that holds the promise that its sons and daughters are entitled to. We rebuilt the infrastructure: bridges, roads, power, water, ports and 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 all its people. We built institutions, drafted 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 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 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 regulator, 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 the human society. And at the forefront of the institutions of the civil society, stand political participation and the extension of democracy and an 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 pressures, 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 about 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 for fourteen centuries ago, we 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 role 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 corner stone 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 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 member of a family, a community and a country. But the true essence of Egypt's endurance and prosperity , over the centuries, is the scene of belonging to one community. One nation founded on equal worth and equal rights for every individual. Throughout the centuries, Egypt has 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 creeds 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 civilizations. 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 is 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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