He was cited for his effort to promote a better relationship between the US and the Arab world and on the local level, with Chicago's Arab American community.

VOA: standard.2010.05.20

"But above all,your visit at this pivotal moment in history speaks to the opportunity before us to build the relationship between our nations born in the last century into one of the defining partnerships of the 21st century,"

VOA: standard.2009.11.25