Students tackle problems of Middle East

While many were basking in the sun over spring break, three students chose to tackle the problems of the Middle East. College senior Lance Dunlop, College freshman Nijmie Dzurinko and Nursing junior Alison Kris joined students from 23 colleges nationwide at Georgetown University to participate in this year's Model League of Arab States, sponsored by the Council of US-Arab Relations. The group from the University led by Faculty Advisor and Law and Society professor Hocine Fetni were assigned to represent Mauritania, a country near Morroco in the Middle East. Since Mauritania was the last country to be assigned, Dunlop, Dzurinko and Kris had very little time to prepare for the conference, said Fetni. But they dealt successfully with issues concerning inter-Arab economic cooperation, water issues, trade investment and technological transference. "[The students] were very bright, very committed, and very willing to learn," said Fetni. The political, economic, social and Palestinian affairs committees for each of the 21 nations represented formulated and submitted their own resolutions. Dunlop's economic resolutions were adopted by 18 countries and will be passed on to the real League of Arab States by Abdallah Sbeih, the Chief Representative of the League of Arab States' in Washington, D.C., said Dunlop. The University delegation also met with the Mauritanian ambassador during the four day event. "It was a wonderful experience," said Dunlop. "I got to talk to a lot of Arab diplomats and a lot of Arab students in general. I think I learned how to listen to them and put myself in their position." Dunlop, who served in the Israeli army for four years and who has a strong interest in Middle Eastern affairs, was one of the students rewarded with the chance to tour Kuwait for ten days in April. The other two students shared in Dunlop's enthusiasm for the conference. Fetni said that he thinks the experience allowed the students to go beyond theory and apply their knowledge. "You get the students to be put in a position where they have to make the decision rather than talk about it," he said.