Top diplomats discuss Middle East A group of senior diplomats that included a peace negotiator and a weapons disarmament monitor shared their experiences in the Middle East and discussed the future of the region during an April conference held at the LBJ School. Called "The Middle East in the New Millennium: Diplomatic Perspectives," the conference was organized by Professor David Eaton. Rolf Ekeus, Swedish Ambassador to the United States and former executive chairman of the United Nations Special Commission for Iraq, was among the participants. The U.N. Special Commission was in charge of monitoring Iraq's disposal of weapons of mass destruction. Other participants were Ambassador Fouad C. M. Cherif, Consul General of Egypt to the United States; Zion Evrony, Consul General of Israel to the Southwest and a key figure in the Middle East peace process; Shafeeq Ghabra, director of information, Kuwait Embassy to the United States; David Jaeger, Vatican representative to Israel; U.S. Air Force Lieutenant General Arlen "Dirk" Jameson, a retired officer whose military service includes leadership positions in the Gulf War; and Bishara A. Bahbah, a member of the Palestinian delegation to the ongoing multilateral peace talks. Divided into two sessions--one on the near East and the other on the Gulf region--the conference included discussions on Egypt and Israel, the future of the Palestinian Authority, relations of the three faiths, prospects for democratic reform in the Gulf and Middle East, and potential military threats in the new millennium. The conference was sponsored by the LBJ School, the UT Austin Center for Middle Eastern Studies, and the Graduate School.

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