Gearing up for reform
Egypt is joining hands with Arab countries to reform the Arab League Dina Ezzat reports
It was with a sigh of relief that the Egyptian initiative for reforming relations among Arab countries was received by the Arab League. Although Egypt's was not the only or even the first proposal for reform submitted to the Arab League, Egypt's contribution was hailed as particularly significant owing to the country's political weight.
Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa described the move as an "excellent and due step" on the part of Egypt, going on to describe it as a leading Arab state with much to offer to all forms of collective Arab action.
But the proposal's significance for the league does not end there; rather the document is being taken at the organisation as Egypt's intervention against calls ringing out from some diplomatic quarters in the region that the Arab League needs to be replaced with a new Middle Eastern organisation.
"This is a clear sign of political will on Egypt's part to work towards reforming the Arab League," commented Hesham Youssef chief of the cabinet and official spokesman of the Arab League secretary-general. "This is a very important step."
According to Youssef, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's commitment to reforming the Arab order, as expressed in the proposal, and to make it more compatible with the regional and international set-ups, is a clear sign that Egyptian diplomacy will throw itself fully behind reform efforts. Such high-level support, along with the commitment expressed by other Arab leaders, including Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah, Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi and other heads of state, represents a vote of confidence for the reform initiative launched by Moussa upon his appointment in 2001.
Arab League sources say the Egyptian proposal offers a clear and holistic analysis of the chronic obstacles to collective Arab cooperation, be they political or economic. However, as some sources argue, its most important contribution is a detailed prescription for remedying the deficiencies of the league's almost six-decade-old charter. "While political will is the make-or-break element for any reform programme, a serious revision of the charter is also necessary to gear up for such an aim," said one source.
The warm reception of the document at the league was not forthcoming from all Arab capitals. Informed Arab sources suggest that Libya, the first country to contribute ideas for reform, was somewhat offended that the Egyptian initiative was not presented as a joint Egyptian- Libyan one despite a tacit agreement to this effect between Cairo and Tripoli. Other Arab capitals that had already presented the league secretariat with proposals also expressed concern that the Egyptian initiative might be accorded greater attention than their efforts.
Ahmed Bin Helli, Arab League assistant secretary-general, categorically denies that the league favours any proposal on the basis of the country that authored it. "Actually, we believe it is important that many proposals have been forwarded and those contributions are diverse. I believe that the proposals presented so far complement each other."
Alongside Egypt's contribution, four key initiatives came from Saudi Arabia, Libya, Qatar and Sudan. The Saudi proposal focusses on promoting closer economic cooperation so as to foster a greater sense of common interests. The Libyan one advocates an overhaul of the Arab order, calling for the evolution of the Arab League into an "Arab Union". Qatar, for its part, targets the enhancement of inter-Arab dialogue and the strengthening of members' legal and fiscal commitments to the organisation.
The Sudanese contribution takes the form of a critique of the status-quo of Arab relations and a call to muster political will for reform.
With the exception of the Egyptian initiative, all other proposals were forwarded prior to the resolution issued at the Sharm El-Sheikh summit that called on Arab countries to submit ideas for reform to the league.
"So, in accordance with the Sharm El-Sheikh summit resolution, other Arab capitals may also be forwarding [additional] proposals for reform," Youssef said. He said Secretary-General Moussa is currently establishing a legal committee that will examine all the proposals. The committee will include legal experts from several Arab capitals.
Moussa, Bin Helli said, is also consulting with a group of Arab intellectuals in a series of brain- storming sessions to explore reform ideas, while also drafting his own set of suggestions.
When the Arab summit convenes for its annual ordinary summit next March in Tunis, it will review the submissions towards adopting a plan of action. That meeting, then, is expected to move the endeavour into the fast lane.
Criticism of the League is not new. Arab commentators have been crticising the organisation for over a quarter of a century. They went as far as to question its viability in the wake of Egypt's decision to seek a unilateral peace deal with Israel in the late 1970s when league headquarters were moved from Cairo to Tunis in protest of what was then deemed a betrayal of Arab unity. Almost as harsh were the barbs tossed the league's way in the early 1980s after Israel occupied Beirut, and then in 1990 when Iraq invaded Kuwait. The failure of the Arab League to effectively support the Palestinian struggle is another shortcoming that has been levelled at it time and again. The recent US occupation of Iraq, though, gave rise to one of the most unrelenting waves of criticism.
With each of those rounds of criticism there was a call for reform. Efforts afoot these days, though, mark the first time that such calls were being coupled with plans for action. And, say observers, if the plans are accompanied by a collective will for reform, then the Arab League may be in store for an impressive overhaul.
