[H.E. Mohamed Nejib Hachana, Ambassador of Tunisia to The United States-Washington, May 28th 2005]

Mr. Ali Khemili, President of Tunisian Community Center,

 Dear Tunisians,

Ladies and Gentlemen:

It gives me great pleasure, this evening, to take part to this charming Ibn Khaldun feast as the guest of honour of the Tunisian Community Center to celebrate one of the Prominent intellectual figures of the Tunisian community in the USA, Sociology Professor Mounira Charrad.

I am all the more pleased that it is a Tunisian woman and at the same time a Scholar of a high caliber that we are rewarding today. This is another testimony, if need be, of Tunisia's successful approach based on its investment in the field of education and science, for which it devotes, since independence, more than 30% of its budget. It is equally an illustration of its "avant-guardist" policy in matters of women's emancipation.

Hadn't Tunisia opted for this avant-guardist policy, Tunisians inside the country and abroad would not have been able to benefit from the highly respected status they are enjoying today.

It is also a quite telling illustration of the remarkable position reached by Tunisian women in the various social and economic fields. Indeed, the exceptional and revolutionary legislation, in favour of the Tunisian Women enabled her to play an active part in the ongoing development process. This actually proves the relentless efforts undertaken in Tunisia since 1957, in the field of women's empowerment, the instigation of which could be traced back to our modernist thinkers and reformers such as Tahar Haddad and Tahar Ben Achour.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Our pride of our Tunisian elite is further exalted especially when The Scholar we are granting The Ibn Khaldun Award, today, is well known for the erudite quality of her works and often-praised university publications. She won indeed six awards by prestigious institutions among which the American Political Science Association in 2003.

This actually deserves our admiration and encouragement in that Professor Charrad has strongly established her academic fame in a country worldly known for the quality of its researchers as well as for the creativity and the emulation that distinguish its academic life. Such a spirit, as you all know, has produced a number of scientists and scholars widely famous throughout the world for the most outstanding scientific and technological advances underscored by Humanity in the recent decades.

 I would equally like to seize this invaluable opportunity to congratulate, personally and on your behalf, Professor Charrad for her constant endeavours in the research field and sincerely thank her for raising so high the star of Tunisia in this Country. By the same token, I wish to express the hope that such gatherings organized under the auspices of the Tunisian Community Center be renewed on a regular basis, The Embassy will spare no efforts to support you. For we deeply believe that this kind of events is the most efficient means to familiarize the American Public with the achievements of our elite in the United States of America and to further brighten the image of Tunisia which had always had strong ties of friendship and cooperation with this country.

I would not end my brief speech without paying tribute to our fellow citizen, Mr Ali Khemili, for his praiseworthy efforts to launch this challenging and enticing project of Ibn Khaldun Award. By the same way, I would wish to convey my sincere thanks and gratefulness to the prestigious Institution, The American University not only for having actively contributed in the training of the most brilliant elements of the Tunisian elite but equally for lending us its premises to celebrate them.

Once again Congratulations to Professor Mounira Charrad, further success in her academic career and happiness in her personal life as well as to all of you further happiness and success in your future endeavours.

I can ensure you that you are in the deep heart and mind of your President, President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali who asked me to convey to all of you his best wishes for further success and more distinction.

Thank you for your attention.