CIEDC Leadership Observes Israeli-PA Diplomacy Up Close and Personal

Leadership of the Colorado-Israel Economic Development Council recently observed up-close the momentous days when Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited both Israel and the Palestinian Authority, and when Ariel Sharon and President Mahmoud Abbas were declaring a cease-fire.

“The possibilities of peace, the visit by Secretary Rice, and an upsurge in tourism were all factors we experienced this past week,” stated CIEDC Board Chairman Jim Barthel.

Barthel, CEO of MT², a Wheat Ridge-based environmental firm, accompanied CIEDC Executive Director Rob Schwartz on an eight-day visit to Israel to build relations with economic and business leaders, promote Colorado opportunities, and plan for a trade mission and two conferences taking place in Colorado.“The interest in Colorado and in companies here is growing, and I’m truly optimistic about the future,” Schwartz remarked.

Schwartz and Barthel observed an international relations issue at close hand, which was widely reported on in Israel, while they were there. A suggestion that Palestinians in the Jordanian Army patrolling areas that the Israeli Army is currently patrolling in northern Samaria (in the West Bank) was being negotiated between a Jordanian delegation, headed by Mansour Abu-Rashid, a former general who heads the Amman Center for Peace Development, and Knesset members represented by Michael Ratzon.

Ratzon, who as a guest of CIEDC visited Denver in 2004 meeting with various government and business leaders as the then-Deputy Minister of Trade, broke from the negotiations to meet with Barthel and Schwartz and introduced them to the historic delegation.

Barthel observed, “Our access on the trip was excellent. We anticipate heavy involvement from both Israeli and Colorado companies in our 2005 Homeland Security Authentication Technology Roundtable and our Conference on Water Management and Environmental Technologies.”

Rob Schwartz, Executive Director of CIEDC, with Dr. Micki Haran, Director-General of the Israeli Ministry of the Environment