Washington Life Magazine
Washington Life Magazine
Around Town
with Donna Shor            



Two embassies captured the social spotlight recently -Afghanistanand Kuwait both held major receptions on the same night. At theEmbassy of Afghanistan, women in high-heeled pumps leaving the hilltopbuilding came slip-sliding away, down on the ice for a block to valet parking, whichwas cordoned off by the police for crowd control. Sand and an occasional helpfulhand from a small army of valet parkers notwithstanding, there were still a fewfalls, but no broken bones reported.

Inside, social, diplomatic and official Washington waited sardine-style, tomeet Hamid Karzai, the president of the Transitional State of Afghanistan who isstruggling to lead his troubled country to democracy. Forty-five year old Karzai isa forceful speaker, fluent in English and with a charismatic personality, but hisdaily life is exposed to risk amid a multitude of factions. Statesmanlike, he hasbeen able to remain neutral on many issues, though he was an avowed enemyof the once powerful Taliban, which is widely believed to have assassinated hisfather, a former parliamentary deputy. Guests thronged about him, as thoseawaiting their turn visited the buffet table spread with hot Middle Eastern savories,honey-drenched pastries and a marvelously flavored version of a dessert that’susually rather bland —rice pudding.

The press of people was easier than it might have been because therecently occupied embassy is still only sparsely furnished, a need the governmentwill meet as funds permit. (One grace note: the Steinway on the secondfloor once belonged to Natalie Bunker Stoddard.)

A few days earlier the ambassador, Ishaq Sharyar and his wife, Hafizah,hosted a party with 100 guests honoring the legendary Charlie Fawcett,an old friend from the days when Ambassador Sharyar was a businessmanin California. Fawcett (who was born in Greenville, North Carolina, but is nowLondon-based with his wife April)is a world citizen of renowned exploits, a sortof humanitarian soldier-of-fortune.

He paid his tuition through art school in France by modeling and wrestling, then,while still a youngster, took off for the Spanish Civil War, where hejoined the famed Lincoln Brigade on the Republican side against FranciscoFranco. Concerned about the pounding London was taking during the Blitz,he joined the RAF and flew fighter planes to help defend Britain. Hearingearly rumors of the Holocaust, he traveled to Marseilles to join Varian Fry ina dangerous, underground “Schindler’s List”-type operation to help save countlesslives from the gas chambers. He aided in other humanitarian efforts inHungary and the Congo, and served a term in the French Foreign Legion. InRome, he began a career of acting in or directing over 100 films in 23 countries.When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in the ‘80s, Charlie, disguised as a cameldriver, shot footage for the documentary film “Courage is Our Weapon” (narratedby his friend Orson Welles).

Seen at the Fawcett party: the Moroccan Ambassador Aziz Mekouarand the former Pakistani Ambassador Maleeha Lodi, former Rep. JamesSlattery of Kansas, Wyatt and Tandy Dickerson, James Latimer,(Charlie’s hometown cousin), Garnett Stackleberg, and Sarah Bloomfield,the director of Washington’s Holocaust Museum. Also there: StephanieAnsaldo who, with the inspiration and support of Elie Weisel, Nobel Prize winnerand Holocaust survivor, established The Echo Foundation in Charlotte,N.C. dedicated to offering programs that motivate people to push for equalityand justice. Former Texas Rep. Charlie Wilson summed it up: “You can go anywherein the world …where people are in danger, and you are likely to hear thename of Charlie Fawcett.”

A VALUED ALLY: At the Kuwaiti reception held at the Willard Hotel on the samenight, the guests of Kuwaiti Ambassador Salem Al-Sabah and his wife, Rima,included many who shuttled between the two events. Seen: Secretary ofDefense Donald Rumsfield, Jordanian Ambassador Marwan Kawar andLuma Kawar, Netherlands Ambassador Boudewijn Van Eennaam and hisfiancée Jellie von der Steeg, Lucky Roosevelt, Lloyd Hand, SpanishAmbassador Javier Ruperez and Rakela Ruperez, Giorgio and Anna MariaVia, John Peters Irelan, Susan Bennett (still on crutches from her skiing accident),Evelyn and Charles DiBona, Morton and Grace Bender, EgyptianAmbassador Nabil Fahmy and his wife Nermin Nabi, Qatar Ambassador BaderAl-Dafa and Awatef Al-Dafa, Walter and Didi Cutler, Aniko Gaal Schott,Algerian Ambassador Idriss Jazairy and his wife Zohour Jazairy, and theambassadors of Jordan, Portugal, Lebanon and Morocco.

Guests circulated between tables filled with sushi and various MiddleEastern dishes, then flocked to hear Mayor Anthony Williams address thegroup. Lauding the hosts, the mayor then read an official proclamation citingthe attributes of their country, declaring that since a U.S. consulate was openedthere in 1951 and elevated to embassy status ten years later, and since theGulf War, relations between the U.S. and Kuwait have deepened and flourished.He officially proclaimed the date “Kuwait National Day in Washington D.C.,” calling uponthe residents of the city to join in celebrating it.

THE WARNKE WHIRLWIND: If you see what looks like a Greek statue cometo life whizzing around town, relax, it’s Christine Warnke, the tornado ofCapitol Hill, and Hogan and Hartson law firm governmental affairs advisor who hascountless projects going at once. Whether a buffet dinner honoring a congressmanor a cocktail party introducing a new ambassador at her icon-filled Sutton Place home, you canbe sure it will be warm and welcoming. Christine’s beat is Congress for funding fornonprofit organizations, and she personally assists the charities sheaids, ferrying wheelchairs to Africa on her “vacation,” for example. (There areone million of them to be delivered over the next ten years, under the aegis of theWheelchair Foundation, begun by former Seattle Seahawks owner KennethBehring.)

She has been a board member, past or present, of countless organizationssuch as The Presidential Advisory Committee on the Arts at the KennedyCenter. She was one of the first women to hold an elected position with theJunior Chamber of Commerce, she led the D.C. Commission for Women from1995 to 1998, aided the Eisenhower Foundation, and too many others toname. She does all this while functioning as a single mother, bringing uptwo children she adopted from Russia, Anna, 9 years old and Sergei, 7. Thanksto her strong Greek mother, she began early in life speaking for the Greek community,and they have returned the favor, inducting her into the Daughtersof Penelope.



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