CIA director to meet with Arab-Americans

DEARBORN, Mich., Sept. 9 (UPI) -- CIA Director Leon Panetta will meet with Arab-Americans in Dearborn, Mich., to promote diversity within the intelligence agency, an Arab- American leader said.

Panetta is set to meet Sept. 16 at a Lebanese-American center with about 150 leaders of the local Middle Eastern community. He is joining other CIA personnel to recruit Arab-Americans for intelligence work, the Detroit Free Press reported Wednesday.

"This visit is very consistent with the government's ongoing efforts to reach out to Arab-Americans, Muslims and Chaldeans," Imad Hamad, regional director of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, said.

The visit follows a similar visit in March from Scott White, associate deputy director for the CIA, and other intelligence agency officials. They met with about 30 Arab-American and Chaldean advocates in a Southfield hotel.

The meetings reflect a movement since Sept. 11, 2001, to bring more Arabic-speakers and people familiar with the culture into U.S. intelligence agencies.