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SUNNY Temp: 70 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Monday, July 28, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend November 9, 2002 Staff Sgt. Sean Mishra, of Klamath Falls, goes over the types of small arms available to the Oregon National Guard soldiers stationed at South Camp in the Sinai. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Oregon Guardsmen KEEPING THE PEACE The U.S. ambassador to Egypt calls the Oregon Guard’s task a highly important element of a vital peace mission By PAUL FATTIG Mail Tribune CAIRO, Egypt — Citizen soldiers from Southern Oregon are playing a key role in keeping peace in one of the world’s most explosive hot spots, observes David Welch. The U.S. ambassador to Egypt says the Rogue Valley construction workers, Southern Oregon University students, Klamath Falls mill workers and others who make up the Oregon Army National Guard contingent in the Sinai are not merely marking time. "It is an extremely important political military duty in support of a peace mission that is vital," Welch says, noting it is a strategic component in American foreign policy. "I hope the citizens of Oregon, some of whom are bearing a large burden as a result of having a part of their family go overseas, understand the contributions to our security," he adds. The Oregon Guard’s 1-186th is stationed on the Sinai’s eastern border until late January as part of the Multinational Force and Observers mission created by the Camp David Accords in 1979. Welch made the comments during an hourlong visit with members of the Oregon media and senior Oregon Guard officers in the fortified U.S. Embassy in downtown Cairo. Armed guards are posted outside the high stone walls; Marine Corps guards stand at the ready inside. In this embassy, you’ll find security as tight as any American airport. Bags are X-rayed, pockets emptied and identification scrutinized. "We live in what we consider in our business a high-threat post," Welch says. "It’s just the reality of our life in this business. We have to be vigilant." But the Egyptian government makes a point of providing strong security for Americans in Egypt, he says. White-uniformed Egyptian police and olive-drab-clad Egyptian soldiers are posted outside the embassy, all armed. "In terms of your guys from Oregon, force protection is an enormously high priority for us here," Welch stresses. "We spend a lot of time and effort on that." Life has changed here since Sept. 11, 2001, acknowledges Welch, who assumed his post a month before the infamous terrorist attack on the United States. Just 24 hours before Welch made his comments, an American diplomat was assassinated in neighboring Jordan. "We cannot eliminate all threats," he says. "We can only manage the risks we feel from them." Egyptian and Israeli leaders have expressed strong support for the MFO, he says. "We have an MFO because it was not possible to get a peacekeeping force through the security council after peace was signed between Egypt and Israel," he says. There were governments within the United Nations Security Council who resisted an endorsement of the 1979 treaty by the U.N., he explains. "American leadership was crucial to constructing what has been one of the most successful peacekeeping operations in the history of this area," he says, adding that U.S. forces are the key to the mission. While the area is not as dangerous as the region being claimed by both Israel and the Palestinians, there are plenty of opportunities for problems, he says. One is the Gaza-Egyptian border at North Camp, the northernmost section of the peacekeeping area and the regional headquarters for the MFO, he says. "That’s a very dangerous location," he says, adding it’s an area known for smugglers bringing in drugs and weapons. Only a few of the Oregonians are based out of North Camp. But throughout the MFO sector there are potential hazards from land mines left over from previous conflicts, particularly the 1967 war between Israel and Egypt. The often violent relationship between the Israelis and Palestinians is directly related to the MFO mission, says Welch, whose diplomatic career of more than two decades largely has been centered around the Middle East. When Egypt signed onto the Camp David Accords, it became the first Arab country to agree to a peace treaty with Israel, prompting ostracism from other Arab nations. "The Egyptians are very active on the ground pursuing peace and stability," Welch says. "Egypt is the center of gravity in the Arab world, especially the moderate Arab world, so it can project its influence to other countries." If it comes to a war between the United States and Iraq, Egypt would be a very important player in the conflict, he says. Yet there is little support for an armed conflict in the region, either by civilians or Arab governments, he says. "The so-called ‘street’ in this part of the world is not sympathetic to any further action with respect to Iraq," he says. "Thus during and after whatever happens next in Iraq, Egypt is in a position to exercise considerable influence over how people view it and interpret it, and what role Arabs will play vis-�-vis any Iraqi crisis." The Egyptian government does not want to see a war with Iraq, he says, citing the negative economic impact that would result. The region is still reeling after the terrorist attacks on the United States. There was one Egyptian among the 19 hijackers involved in the attack. There are also several Egyptians in the senior leadership of al-Qaida, the group believed to be behind the attack. Egypt does not condone terrorism, Welch says. "This is a country that has lost one president, several ministers and many citizens to terrorism," he says, noting that more than 1,000 Egyptians have died in the battle against terrorism during the 1990s. "There has been a cost in terms of human rights," he acknowledges. "This government has been very tough on people it considers to be extremists . . . Their methods have sometimes been onerous." There have been instances of loss of freedom of speech and worship, he says. The U.S. government has expressed concern about those human rights violations to the Egyptian government, he says. "This is a country that is basically conservative in its nature in which there remains a lot of sympathy for Islamic tendencies in politics," he says. "But most people here do not like violence." When some 60 tourists were killed by terrorists in Luxor in 1997, the incident appalled most Egyptians, he says. In turn, Egyptians see the MFO as one of the bright spots in regional peace, he adds. While the future of the MFO seems assured, the American role is being reviewed, Welch says. "We have a dialogue under way with Egypt and Israel about that," he says. "We are expecting from them a joint proposal on how our presence in the MFO can be reconfigured. "The Egyptians and the Israelis are not excited about a change, to put it mildly, in American presence in the MFO," he says. "They think the U.S. is key to the stability of this organization, and that this organization is the key in the stability to the peace treaty." It’s an issue that has gone to the highest levels of government in all three nations, he says. "No one, including the American side, is proposing any withdrawal," he says. "The only discussion under way is whether we could change the American profile within the MFO." Meanwhile, Welch reiterates that all governments involved are aware of the personal sacrifices being made by the Oregonians. "For that we are grateful," he says. "We think it is a very important mission in this part of the world." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S SPECIAL SECTIONS Rogue Valley Auto Finder Rogue Valley Job Finder --> Rogue Valley Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Real Estate Showcase Food for Thought Hike of the Week Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Openings Prime Times