BY
HIS EXCELLENCY
“In Pursuit of Peace”
THE CRISIS GROUP AWARD DINNER 2009
Honoring
President George H.W. Bush
President William J. Clinton
Former Deputy Prime Minister Issam M. Fares
AT
WALDORF ASTORIA
ON
WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 28th 2009
Reception 6.30
Dinner 7.30
My friends, Chairman Pickering, President Arbour, President Emeritus Evans, Distinguished Guests….
It is a great pleasure to be here this evening to celebrate peace and the very organization committed to peace - the International Crisis Group.
ICG is honoring two world leaders - President George H. W. Bush and President William J. Clinton. It is with deep humility and great pride that I am also honored with them. The three of us share the same passion for peace and support the organizations working for peace. This is to me the noblest of all noble causes.
It was in the mid nineties when my friend Senator George Mitchell , and a few of his esteemed colleagues , approached me with their idea for a new organization which would be focused on conflict prevention. I welcomed the idea , joined the board, and consequently had our first meeting in my country Lebanon.
Soon after, they lifted me from my local and regional concerns and thrust me into the concerns of the entire globe. They broadened my interests and focused my attention on the human condition.
It is to the credit of ICG that it has led us to transcend local interests, to cross frontiers, to jump over obstacles, and to look at humanity as a whole. ICG directed us to think of fair play, of bringing people together, of treating conflicts before they explode into violence and war . And from this platform I salute them.
I have seen war .I have tasted its bitter taste. War is savage , destructive , and primitive. We should all help ICG to realize our dream and eliminate war from the archive of human history.
ICG is honoring us this evening , let’s honor them in return . Let’s honor the many men and women working hard on the front line of conflicts in Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, South Asia and Latin America. They are risking their lives that all may have a safer world to live in.
Finally, I wish to congratulate my two friends , President Bush and President Clinton for the honor they fully deserve. This is an emotional moment for me. In the name of my family (my wife Hala, my sons Michael, Nijad, Fares, and their families, and Noor our daughter), and also my friends here tonight , all the Lebanese, I wish to thank ICG for this great honor, and to wish them continuous success.
Good night and God Bless you all.