CAIRO, 13 December 2002 — The United States unveiled yesterday a program to help “modernize Arab society” with an initial contribution of $29 million and pledges to raise more from Congress and some Arab countries.
In the process, the administration hopes to deflect radicalism and help educate Arab children and liberate women from illiteracy and poverty with scholarships and economic development.
Announcing the program, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, said: “We are adding hope to the US-Middle East agenda. We are pledging our energy, our abilities and our idealism to bring hope to all those who call the Middle East home.”
“Hope begins with a paycheck,” he said. “And that requires a vibrant economy,” Powell added.
Washington has been worried about a recent UN report of wide-scale illiteracy and poor level of education in the Arab world, Assistant Secretary of State William Burns said. Richard Albright of the US embassy in Cairo said the areas of US economic aid to Egypt, totaling $615 million, will cover education and employment.
The US program will also include underwriting Internet hookups in schools, including at a private Saudi women’s college.
