Embassy Row

Praise for Greenspan

German Ambassador Wolfgang Ischinger praised Alan Greenspan for maintaining the U.S. economy on the path of prosperity and promoting global financial security during his 18 years as chairman of the Federal Reserve.

Mr. Ischinger called Jan. 31, the day Mr. Greenspan left the Fed office, a “historic day.”

“By successfully steering the U.S. economy through market crises in the ’80s and ’90s as well as through the aftermath of 9/11, you have made an enormous contribution to the stability of the global financial markets and the world economy as a whole,” the ambassador said in a letter released by the German Embassy.

“Your vigorous advocacy of the advantages of open and flexible markets and your invaluable economic advice to many U.S. presidents and foreign leaders and to the financial world at large will have a profound impact on economic policy-making for many years to come.”

Unease in Haiti

The top U.S. diplomat in Haiti is worried that political candidates funded by drug smugglers could get elected in tomorrow’s legislative and presidential elections.

Tim Carney, the charge d’affaires at the U.S. Embassy, told the Associated Press that he has talked to many candidates who said they were approached by shady characters offering them bags of cash.

“We’re very concerned about the possibility of drug money being used to finance candidates,” he said.

He expressed confidence in the Haitian police’s ability to prevent widespread violence during the elections.

“This is a pretty good size country … and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some elements of violence at some points,” he said. “But I firmly believe that the authorities will keep the lid on.”

Diplomatic traffic

Foreign visitors in Washington this week include:

Today

• A South Korean congressional delegation led by Kim Deog-ryong, former leader of the National Assembly. The members hold a press conference at the National Press Club in conjunction with the Washington-based Asia America Initiative.

• Juan Mendez, special adviser to the secretary-general of the United Nations on the prevention of genocide, who discusses the situation in Sudan’s Darfur region at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Tomorrow

• Charlie McCreevy, the European Union’s commissioner for internal market and services, who addresses a forum on international economics at the Council on Foreign Relations.

• Svetlana Zavadskaya, president of the Dmitry Zavadsky Foundation, and Olga Stuzhinskaya, coordinator of the Belgium-based Democratic Belarus. They discuss the March 19 Belarusian election in a forum at Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.

cJan Figel, the European Union’s commissioner for education, training, culture and multilingualism, who speaks at Georgetown University.

Wednesday

• Nonie Darwish, daughter of a Palestinian suicide bomber, and Miri Eisen, a former colonel in the Israel Defense Forces. They address a forum organized by the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington, the Georgetown Israel Alliance and the Israel on Campus Coalition of Greater Washington.

• Nesreen Barwari, Iraq’s minister for municipalities and public works, who discusses the reconstruction of Iraq with invited guests of the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars.

Thursday

• Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, who receives an honorary doctorate degree of humane letters from Georgetown University.

Friday

• Yuriy V. Lutsenko, Ukraine’s minister of internal affairs, who addresses the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

• Call Embassy Row at 202/636-3297, fax 202/832-7278 or e-mail jmorrison@washingtontimes.com.