Ambassador of Mexico Juan JosÈ Bremer Despite Differences, Good Friends Make Good Neighbors by Larry Luxner Despite the contentious issues of immigration, drug trafficking and foreign policy that for years have clouded U.S.-Mexican relations, Mexicoís ambassador in Washington insists the two countries are closer and more united than ever before. Juan JosÈ Bremer, who presented his credentials to President Bush on Feb. 14, 2001, is a master at presenting the complex bilateral alliance as one that is between best friends who rarely argue and almost never have any serious disagreements. ìWithout exaggerating, there isnít a more intense, wide and deep relationship between two nations than the one that exists between Mexico and the United States,î he told The Washington Diplomat during a recent interview at his sumptuous official residence on Loughboro Road, NW. ìOur countries are connected by multiple tracks. We have strong communications on a day-to-day basis, a very fluid diplomatic dialogue and growing economic interaction.î more... Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III Former U.S. Diplomat Leads Historic Effort to Rebuild Iraq by John Shaw Ambassador L. Paul Bremer III, the recently appointed civil administrator of Iraq, has, shall we say, a few things on his plate. The former U.S. diplomat is trying to rebuild a shattered country, revive its basic services, install a democracy, calm a frightened and suspicious people, navigate a byzantine and poisonous political environment, and succeed in the most complex and costly nation-building exercise the United States has undertaken in half a century. more.... Uranium Controversy Raises Nigerís Profile by Sean OíDriscoll Never in the past 50 years ha s Niger been in the news so frequently. As The Washington Diplomat spoke to the countryís ambassador, Joseph Diatta, the controversy over forged documents purporting to show uranium sales from Niger to Iraq had just begun to die down. There was no mention of the issue in The Washington Post on the morning of the interview, a source of some relief for the ambassador. more.... El Salvadorís Ambassador LeÛn Both Diplomat, Community Leader by Larry Luxner RenÈ A. LeÛn, El Salvadorís ambassador to the United States, likes to joke that if he ran for mayor of Washington, D.C., and all Salvadorans could vote, heíd probably win hands down. That probably isnít much of an exaggeration. The Washington metro area is home to 500,000 immigrants from El Salvador, making it the nationís second-largest Salvadoran immigrant community after Los Angeles, with around 900,000. more.... MHz Networks Offers New Russian Programming by Jessica Shyu Begnning Sept. 15, more than 40 hours of Russian programming will be available on public television every week free of cost and with English subtitles. Known for its diverse international programs, MHz Networks bolstered its offerings to Russian and mainstream audiences in the Washington, D.C., area when it signed an exclusive, five-year agreement with Russian World TV. more....

Culture Section Check out the arts section for the latest in museum exhibits, dance, theater and much more. Single-Sex Schools Offer Focused Learning, Unique Programs by Carolyn Cosmos ìSingle-sex education seems to be coming back, although itís not for everyone,î said Father Peter Weigand, headmaster of St. Anselmís Abbey School in Washington, D.C., a secondary school serving gifted boys. The Washington area is rich in excellent schools, both single sex and coeducational, Weigand added, and students and parents should ìchoose whatís best for them.î So why would someone select a single-sex school? Meredith Cole, assistant head of marketing and public relations for The Madeira School in McLean, Va., summed up the advocate view: ìBoys and girls learn differently." more... Shared Terrorist Threat Brings U.S., Philippines Together by Larry Luxner Exactly 100 years after American troops put down a long-running insurrection in the Philippines, the former U.S. colony has emerged as one of Washingtonís strongest allies in the struggle against Islamic-inspired terrorism in Southeast Asia. ìBilateral relations are the best theyíve ever been in recent history,î said Manilaís man in Washington, Philippine Ambassador Albert F. del Rosario. more.... Embassies Have Different Strategies for Getting Stories in News by Sean OíDriscoll The biggest publicity scoop scored by the Slovak Embassy Press Office was not when any of the countryís dignitaries came to Washington, D.C., to speak to policymakers, but when their prime minister ran in the New York City Marathon. ìI got him on CNN twice on the same day,î said the embassyís press secretary, Viera Viskupov·. ìHe was on with Paula Zahn in the morning, who told him that her grandmother was from Slovakia. At 9:30 that night, he was on Larry King Live, which was very good also.î The Slovak Embassy is an example of a small band of embassies that are extremely effective in getting their media message past the thousands of weekly press releases being mass faxed from embassies, think tanks and foundations across the Washington area. more.... No Bones About It: Osteoporosis Not Just Womanís Disease by Gina Shaw The news is in on Americaís bone healthóand itís not good. As a nation, weíre losing bone mass so rapidly that more than half of all people age 50 and over are already at risk for osteoporosis, and the numbers are climbing. more....