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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999 Issue No. 457 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly 25 Nov. - 1 Dec. 1999 Issue No. 457
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region International Economy Opinion Culture Features Profile Travel Living Sports People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Make-believe diplomacy
Fatemah FaragSimultaneous interpreters are busy inside their booths providing service to delegates with the earphones clamped snugly around their heads. Dressed in dark business suits and seated at a round table, delegates are engaged in heated debate or have pensive expressions on their faces as they ponder affairs of state. High heels and elegant skirts move about in a constant whir, conveying messages from one side of the room to the other. Those who do not use classical Arabic are denied the right to speak. Doors are locked when matters are put to the vote. The American University in Cairo's 10th International Model Arab League (CIMAL) is an event that is taken anything but lightly.
"We began advertising the event around the world in May," said Anthony Lang, assistant professor of political science at the AUC, who has been in charge of the event since last year. "Roughly, we have 130 AUCians, between 30 and 40 students from Cairo and other Egyptian universities, and 30 from US and European universities who came especially for the event."
The growth of AUC's CIMAL was spelled out by this year's Secretary-General Mohamed Eita. He said that "10 years ago, the Model Arab League began with only one council, the Arab League council. Since then, it has grown to become one of the largest student-run organisations in our region and the largest international model Arab league conference worldwide".
CIMAL now has a web site and distributes an interactive CD ROM, which includes audio, video and textual data about the league, the AUC and the programme itself.
The four-day event was inaugurated on 16 November, with Mustafa El-Fiqi, assistant to the foreign minister for Arab and Middle Eastern affairs and Egypt's permanent representative at the Arab League, as the keynote speaker. He brought up sensitive and central issues. For example, will the Arab League survive and will the Palestinian-Israeli conflict remain the focus of its activities? And why is a model league relevant at a time when the real-life one's usefulness is debatable?
"People say the Arab League should pick up its papers and go home. I say 'no.' It should be turned into a centre for economic unity and technological cooperation," El-Fiqi said. "The same Arab minds that came up with the idea of the Arab League must now come up with the league's new goals at a time of peace and a new Middle East."
Students "representing" the 22 member-states of the Arab League were divided into six councils and committees. The sessions of 19 November were held at the league's headquarters in Tahrir Square. Most of the money came from fund-raising undertaken in Egypt. Among this year's most prominent sponsors was the Amoun pharmaceutical company.
"The CIMAL is an addiction. People love it," said Mohamed Abdel-Raouf, who chaired an emergency Arab League council, the event's highest body. The council was given a hypothetical situation to deal with -- a partial Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon. During a short break, Abdel-Raouf argued that the event is "the best opportunity to speak about important issues and the future of the Arab world. It is an opportunity to do so in an objective way, to have a good idea about Arab governments and their leaders, to find out how and why they think in a certain way and take specific decisions."
The event does not attract only those in fields strictly related to political science. Noha Tabrizi is a business major and is attending in her capacity as a member of the organising committee. This is her second CIMAL. "Our job is to make the event feel as real as possible," she explained. From placards and name-tags to fund-raising and media coordination, students are responsible for everything, from A to Z.
Students are trained in both procedure and substance almost three months in advance of the event. Nine non-credit, four-hour sessions are organised on Saturdays by students who have experience in running previous CIMALs. "The programme is important for students because it teaches them about the Arab world as well as all sorts of practical issues, such as how to research, negotiate and act like a diplomat," said Lang, "Even business students can learn a lot about running a business."
The resolutions will be published in a concluding report and kept on file. The real benefits, however, are those reaped by the participants. "The event is a window on the world. It builds up character and understanding. Besides, we are Arabs and this is the least we can do to make that not just a label but a reality," asserted Tabrizi.
Additional reporting by Tarek Atia
