I am especially honored to be here with those who will receive awards, to be with Sting, who has used his renown and talent. (Applause.) He was going to give me two tickets for that. (Laughter.) But someone who has used his renown and talent not just to entertain, but to advocate for human rights and for the environment. (Applause.)

Another awardee, the Grameen global network, for its work in opening up avenues of opportunity by giving access to capital to thousands of people around the world, bringing reality to their dreams, to access the Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services, an organization that has done such wonderful work helping new immigrants to become self-sufficient and independent and to give them access to healthcare.

And especially to Reading is Fundamental. This is a program that I know very, very well because it was a partner of mine during the years that I served as chairman of America's Promise, the Alliance for Youth. And Lynda Johnson Robb, who plays such a key role in Reading is Fundamental, was my co-chair at America's Promise. And RIF has done vital work for years helping children and family members achieve the literacy level necessary to be successful in the very, very complex 21st century world that we are in.

The humanitarian efforts of these award winners reach across communities and borders. They remind us of the importance of looking beyond narrow boundaries of self-interest. They remind us of the need to give, of the need to share with those in need. Kahlil Gibran once wrote, "They give that they may live, for to withhold is to perish. To give, to share, is noble and is an obligation." In that spirit, the Arab American Institute established these awards as a reminder of our common humanitarian and of our need for a future marked by trust in each other.

I congratulate the Institute for the establishment of these awards, and I also congratulate and compliment the Institute on the work it does day in and day out to fight discrimination and to promote inclusion in this great land of ours and around the world. (Applause.) As the son of immigrant parents myself and as a minority American who faced discrimination in my time, this is not just an idle or passing compliment, but one I feel deep in my heart. People talk about discrimination and racism as something that might have existed in the past in this country, but it is still with us and we have to fight against it wherever it is found. I will never stop fighting, because it is not history for me; it was part of my life, part of my experience as an American.

But what is great about our country and what makes us such an example for the rest of the world is that we know how to fight against discrimination and racism; we know how to become an inclusive society. When I was a young boy in New York City, nobody would have imagined that I could have grown up to become Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the United States of America, or Secretary of State. And I have had people interview me and said, you know, when you were growing up there in South Bronx and you were just a kid standing on the street corner, did you think you would grow up and become Secretary of State.

My answer was, yeah, there I was. (Laughter and Applause.) Standing on a street corner, minding my own business, saying, you know, I believe I am going to grow up and become Secretary of State. (Laughter.) It wasn't imaginable. But it happened. And it happened because people struggled. It happened because people bear witness to falsehood. It happens because people care about being a better society. And the work of this Institute is an important part of that caring, an important part of what makes America great.

And America has to be even greater in the future, because America has to be that model of what is possible -- the universal nation -- a place where people of every background and distinction can live in peace and harmony, the kind of peace and harmony that God meant for all of His children, from the noisy, troubled and often violent world, this is an uplifting concept, one not always easy to translate into reality, especially far from our shores.

One only has to look at the Middle East, a place very much on our minds this evening. And once again, we see the parties locked in a cycle of violence, provocation and reaction. Daily we see the reminders of tragedy and horror. We know that the Palestinian people have suffered greatly in recent months, and the Israelis are also paying a heavy toll. This is a conflict that benefits no one. This is a conflict that destroys family, that destroys children, that destroys the future of all parties in the region.

One can become frustrated. One can say it is easy to walk away from this, to lose hope. But we cannot walk away, we must not walk away, and we will not lose hope. (Applause.) President Bush will not turn away, nor will I. We are deeply engaged on a daily basis in trying to lower the level of violence and to restore a measure of trust between the two sides. We will be working hard to remove the barriers that exist to trade and access to jobs. Only then will we be able to move back to negotiations, the negotiations that are so vitally necessary to achieve a lasting peace and a permanent solution.

We are in constant touch with the leaders in the region. I speak every few days with Chairman Arafat and Prime Minister Sharon. Foreign Minister Peres was here this past week, as was Prime Minister Hariri of Lebanon. The United States is sponsoring security dialogues between the parties at two levels. We are working with both parties and with the Egyptians and the Jordanians on a proposal for future negotiations. We will not rest. We will be engaged. We will not rest because the stakes are too high. We will work for a solution that will allow these two peoples to share this hallowed and historic land in peace and in security. (Applause.)

The Administration is also hard at work on the problem of Iraq. The Iraqi regime has attempted to blame the UN sanctions regime for the difficulties of daily life faced by the people of Iraq. But it is the regime that is at fault. Nevertheless, we are going to work with the United Nations and our Arab friends to revise the sanctions policy, so that it is directed exclusively at preventing Iraq from a military buildup and developing weapons of mass destruction, and to do it in a way that does not hurt the people of Iraq, but just the regime in Baghdad. (Applause.)

Let us never forget that the weapons they are trying to develop will be aimed and used against children, the people of the region, and sanctions against such weapons must remain in place until Iraq's leaders comply with their obligation to stop such activity. And we can keep that arms control sanctions regime in place without denying needed goods to the Iraqi people.

The world we live in now is far more complicated than I could have imagined when I watched the Cold War end some ten years ago. With all the challenges and dangers we see, there is still strong reason for hope and optimism. Democracy works and the free enterprise system works, but for democracy and the free enterprise system to work, old hatreds must be settled, reconciliation must occur, and peace must take hold. Nowhere is that more the case than in the Middle East, and that is why it will remain a major priority for President Bush and for his Administration.

And we will need your help, so please continue to give us your guidance, your criticism, your understanding, and above all your support. Above all, let us keep hope alive. Hope for the day when Palestinian and Israeli children are free from the chains of violence and tragedy and dream together of limitless opportunities, and when they together can build a future of peace and prosperity.

Let that be our prayer tonight as we honor these awardees and as we celebrate the spirit and the legacy of the other person we honor, the spirit and the legacy of Kahlil Gibran. Thank you very, very much. (Applause.)