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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 30 Sep. - 6 Oct. 1999 Issue No. 449
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Focus Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters 'Together...'
US SECRETARY of State Madeleine Albright held talks with Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the opening of the UN General Assembly. Albright aims to build on a Middle East trip made earlier this month when Syria and Israel stated there was a need for the US to act as an intermediary between them.MRS SUZANNE Mubarak inaugurated yesterday an orphanage for Bosnian chil-ren, built by the Egyptian Red Crescent Society at a cost of LE10 million on 10,000 square metres in Mostar, south-east of Bos-ia. The "village", as it is called, includes a clinic, a library, a bakery, a laundry, a restaurant, a theatre and several sports facilities.
In an inaugural address, Mrs Mubarak, chairperson of the Red Crescent, said the village will shelter 95 orphans and provide cul-ural and recreational facilities for hundreds of other children and young people to enable them to start a new normal life.
"This new project aims to help these children regain their bearings and gain a foothold on solid ground," Mrs Mubarak said. "Together, we aim at both em-owering them and counteracting their social exclusion. We want them to put aside hatred and the difficulties they have been through and embark on a new life full of hope, tolerance and achievements."
Mrs Mubarak said the project "will always remain a symbol of fruitful international cooperation in the humanitarian field. It is an expression of the close ties between our two nations."
She reminded the audi-nce that the international community was celebrating at this time the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child.
Before her arrival in Bosnia, Mrs Mubarak visited Warsaw to attend a First Ladies' meeting, with the theme "Keep Children Smiling in the New Mil-ennium".
Addressing the gathering, she said Egypt adhered to the dictum "think globally, act locally". "I am happy to say that Egypt has done its share on both the global and local fronts," Mrs Mu-arak said. "It has played a significant role in the for-ulation of global policies and, at the same time, has managed to translate them into national goals and programmes that respond to the country's specific needs, conditions and aspirations."
Mrs Mubarak noted that Egypt has been "investing heavily in its human re-ources, particularly its children. It has undertaken an ambitious programme to address the basic needs of its young citizens and pre-are them for the 21st century. The pillars of this programme, naturally, are education, health and a protected environment," she said.
Press role
THE FEDERATION of Arab Journalists, under the chairmanship of Ibrahim Nafie, board chairman of the Al-Ahram organisation, is sponsoring a seminar on the "role of Arab in-ormation [press and me-ia] in propagating the cul-ure of human rights. " The seminar, which opened Tuesday, is co-sponsored by the Arab Institute of Hu-an Rights.In an opening address, Nafie affirmed the importance of "serious action, impartial research and open dialogue with the aim of modifying legislations" that impose constraints on free-om of expression. Nafie, who also chairs the Egyp-ian Press Syndicate, said Egyptian journalists are de-ermined to "have a dem-cratic dialogue with the executive and legislative authorities in order to reach a new formulation of laws that protect the freedoms of expression and the press."
