Ambassador to examine prospects for peace

Ambassador to examine prospects for peace

BY B.J. ALMOND
Rice News staff

In conjunction with the “Coexistence” exhibit currently on display in Houston, the director of Rice’s James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy will discuss “Coexistence: The Prospects for Peace in the Middle East” at 4 p.m. April 11 on campus.

Rice’s Boniuk Center for the Study and Advancement of Religious Tolerance is sponsoring Edward Djerejian’s lecture to promote dialogue about coexistence and awareness of the “Coexistence: The Art of Living Together” exhibit.

Djerejian’s extensive diplomatic career has kept him cognizant of the challenges of people living together in the war-torn Middle East. Before he came to Rice in 1994, Djerejian served as U.S. ambassador to Syria and Israel as well as assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs and deputy assistant secretary of Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs. He played key roles in the Arab-Israeli peace process, the U.S.-led coalition against Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, successful efforts to end the civil war in Lebanon, the release of U.S. hostages in Lebanon and the establishment of collective and bilateral security arrangements in the Persian Gulf. His expertise in the Middle East remains highly respected and sought after, as evidenced a few years ago by former Secretary of State Colin Powell asking him to chair a congressionally mandated advisory group on public diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim world.

Rice students, faculty and staff who want to attend Djerejian’s talk in Doré Commons at James A. Baker III Hall should R.S.V.P. by e-mail (bipprsvp@rice.edu) or fax (713-348-5993).

Djerejian’s lecture is one of several forums coinciding with “Coexistence.” The traveling exhibit, initiated by Jerusalem’s Museum on the Seam, was brought to the city by Holocaust Museum Houston and the City of Houston. This free international outdoor display of giant visual art inspired by the theme of coexistence can be viewed April 7-May 1 at Hermann Square, 901 Smith St., in front of Houston City Hall. The exhibit features 9-foot-by-15-foot works of art mounted on aluminum frames 6 feet above ground. Artists around the globe created the works, and each piece is accompanied by a quote from renowned artists, philosophers or writers, with translations in English, French, Spanish and German.

For more information about the exhibit and related events, visit <www.hmh.org>.