March 31 - April 11, 2001

The Spring briefing trip to the Middle East included the capital cities of Beirut, Damascus and Tehran. Martha Barnett, the President of the American Bar Association, led the 15-member delegation. This briefing trip had three main goals: gaining a greater understanding of the legal and business environments in Syria, Lebanon and Iran; establishing a dialogue between legal communities; and laying the groundwork for future cooperation between the ABA and the Bar Associations of each country - including legal capacity building activities, expanding the rule of law and introduction of new technology.

In Lebanon, the delegates were given the opportunity to interact with the presidents of the Beirut and Tripoli Bar Associations as well as with their members. The U.S. Embassy briefed the delegation on the legal, political and economic situation in the region. The delegation met with the President of the Republic of Lebanon, the Prime Minister, the Director General of the Ministry of Justice, the President of the Beirut Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the President of Parliament, the Chief Justice of the Constitutional Court and other high-level government officials. In addition, the delegation attended receptions and dinners hosted by their Lebanese counterparts.

Following the visit to Beirut, the delegation traveled by bus to Damascus, Syria. The first morning after the delegation arrived, they were briefed of the country's situation at the United States Embassy. The U.S. Ambassador to Syria along with the Embassy's political officer gave the delegation an overview of the country and discussed possible legal exchange with the United States. While in Damascus, the delegation met with the Presidents of the Administrative Court, the Federation of the Syrian Chambers of Commerce, the Deputy Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, the Minister of State for Planning Affairs, and other government officials. The delegation also attended meetings hosted by the Syrian Bar Association, the Damascus University Law School, and they attended social events hosted by the Embassy, a law firm and the National Committee of the ICC.

The Iran portion of the trip offered delegates a unique opportunity to exchange views with leaders on a variety of important issues and to hear directly from public and private figures about the country's legal system. The delegation visited Shahid Behasti University where the Dean of Faculty and faculty members briefed the group on legal education in Iran. The Swiss Ambassador to Iran, who represents United States interests in Iran, brought the delegation up to date about relations between Iran and the United States. Other meetings were held with the Bar Association of Iran, the United Nations Drug Control Program and the Department of Environment. The delegation also attended several receptions, a lunch and dinner hosted by their Iranian counterparts.

This ILEX briefing trip provided the delegation with a special and memorable opportunity, one where the delegates were able to gain unique and valuable insights into the rapidly changing developments in this region of the world.

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