A flyer announcing that the Middle East/World Expo ’77 will be held here in the Hilton Hotel June 21-24 does not include the name of Israel in the list of Middle East countries to participate in what the flyer describes as “The World’s Largest Trade Showcase/Forum for Products, Technology and Services.”
The flyer shows a series of arrows representing different areas of the world pointing toward a photograph of New York City. The only arrow with names of countries listed is that marked “Middle East.” The countries there are Saudi Arabia, UAE (United Arab Emirates), Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, Egypt, Jordan, Libya, Syria and Iraq.
A spokesman for Patents International Affiliates, Ltd. (PIA), which is sponsoring the showcase, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency that Israel as well as Lebanon and Iran are included in the list of Near East countries. However, the arrow on the flyer marked “Near East” does not list any country, nor do the arrows marked “Central and South America,” “Southeast Asia,” “Africa,” “Far East,” “Eastern and Western Europe,” and “North America.”
NO EXPLANATION GIVEN
The spokesman said that the showcase “is strictly a commercial enterprise.” He had no immediate explanation of why Israel, Lebanon and Iran are considered Near East in contradistinction to Middle East countries and why they are not listed on the flyer on the Near East arrow. According to an accompanying flyer, the showcase will be attended by “buyers and missions from around the globe, with particular emphasis on consumer surplus nations of the Mideast.”
The flyer states: “Patents International Affiliates, Ltd., backed by over ten years of worldwide experience–with particular expertise in the Middle East–has now designed a custom tailored international Trade Showcase/Forum with especially developed methods and services to create the most conducive climate for top level business negotiations and face-to-face meetings with VIPs and Buying Missions from all major markets of the world.”
The PIA group, another flyer points out, in 1976 organized Expo showcases in Amman, Kuwait and Cairo. This year an Expo was held in Saudi Arabia. The Expo in New York “will enjoy the full support of the U.S. Department of Commerce, State and City of New York, plus over 26 cooperating government agencies, worldwide,” the flyer stated. Since it was established in 1965, the PIA group has also held Expos in Europe, the Far East and North America.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.
