Small Business - Arab Journalists Tour

August 30 - September 17, 2005, Washington, DC; Baltimore, Maryland; Jacksonville, Florida: Seattle, Washington; and Houston, Texas
Contact: Washington Foreign Press Center Program Officer: Algis Silas
Telephone: 202-504-6317, Email: silasa@state.gov

Six Arab journalists gained a better understanding of America's dynamic small business environment by visiting with small business experts from the private, federal, state and local governmental sectors, and with owners of Arab American small businesses during their 19-day FPC reporting tour. 

The tour took journalists from Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Syria, and the United Arab Emirates to Washington, Baltimore, Jacksonville, Seattle and Houston where they discussed federal, state and local programs to assist small businesses and economic development.  They also had a dynamic discussion on U.S. foreign Policy with Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian of the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University.  U.S. Senator Mel Martinez's Northern Florida Regional Office, the Jacksonville Regional Chamber of Commerce, The Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce and the Houston Bilateral US-Arab Chamber of Commerce were instrumental partners in organizing portions of the working reporting tour program.