Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was the leader who introduced the metaphor of going up the mountain in a very powerful way into the public discourse of me 20th century. It is not surprising that in the negotiations between Israel and Syria we, the negotiators, found ourselves relying on the very same metaphor when we first wanted to convey to each other that beyond the presence of conflict there may lie a more promising future. We both resorted to the notion of climbing to the top of the mountain and seeking the valleys of peace that lie beyond.

Inspiration to peacemakers is thus one of the manners in which Dr. King and his legacy continue to inspire us. Dr. King would have been the first to understand my absence from this ceremony due to my role in the Israeli-Syrian peace negotiations that are taking place not far from here right now.

In the past two years this award ceremony has been a high point of my tenure in Washington. This year in particular I was anxious to attend a ceremony in which my friend Peter Edelman, and a great friend and ally in Congress, Congressman Kweisi Mfume, are honored. I know that they and all of you in attendance would understand my absence.

Let me therefore convey my personal congratulations and greetings to those two outstanding individuals and my tribute to the causes they have advanced and embodied.

When the date of today's ceremony was set, none of us contemplated a possibility that the festivities of the day will be clouded by the unsavory controversy between the Ethiopian Jewish Community arid the government of Israel. In this context, I would like to emphasize that we are determined to make the best of a bad turn of events and go into the roots of their dissatisfaction and malaise. Also, we must not let these events overshadow the essence of what remains a wonderful story of salvation and reunification of part of the Jewish people with the State of Israel.