It is my honor and pleasure to invite your school to attend the 2007 University of Pittsburgh Session: Middle East Forum. This forum will be held from March 30-April 1, 2007 on the University of Pittsburgh's main campus.

Session: Middle East is a forum designed to address the Arab-Israeli conflict using methods that are the first of their kind in the nation. This forum seeks to analyze the conflict from a political, scientific, and journalistic standpoint. This unique experience gives students the opportunity to take classroom theory and apply it to practical political issues. It then goes beyond classroom theory to use aspects of previously successful negotiations to help delegates understand the position of the "other." For instance, students with pro-Arab views are asked to represent Israeli delegates and vice versa. A full explanation of our methods is available via our website at www.pitt.edu/sorc/~smeast and we encourage you read more about Session: Middle East as you consider attending our forum.

We are busily working to present an exciting conference with an interesting scenario for the delegates at this third annual Session: Middle East conference. In striving to create a great experience for every delegate, we have designed a unique scenario that will provide an excellent atmosphere. We welcome you to discuss three very pertinent topics: Methods for Cooperation in the Middle East; Nuclear, Chemical, and Biological Weaponization and Proliferation in the Middle East; and The New Direction for Israel and Palestine and the Need for a Comprehensive Plan on Terrorism. Further, we welcome students from your school to fill several different positions including government officials, mediators, scientific experts, and journalists.

We are confident that our conference will be a rewarding experience, and we are hopeful that delegates from your school will be active participants. Conference registration will open January 15, 2007 on our aforementioned website, and we encourage you to register early in order to secure the assignment that you desire. More information regarding the conference, the committee, and country assignments will also be available on our website in the coming months.

If you have any questions or inquiries, please feel free to email me at session.middle.east@gmail.com. My secretariat and I are very excited, and we hope that you will join us in continuing to build this national student movement for dialogue on the conflict.

Bethany Eroh
Secretary-General
Session: Middle East 2007