Delayed expectations
Arab countries may take small steps towards reform and even smaller ones to resolve acute regional problems, Dina Ezzat follows pan-Arab efforts to grapple with a region in turmoil, and interviews the interim foreign minister of Iraq
Arab countries may take small steps towards reform and even smaller ones to resolve acute regional problems, Dina Ezzat follows pan-Arab efforts to grapple with a region in turmoil, and interviews the interim foreign minister of Iraq
A four-day Arab foreign ministers meeting that ended Wednesday failed to produce any impressive results on any of the three most pressing Arab concerns: the Arab-Israeli conflict, the situation in Iraq and the need to adopt reform measures to confront Western attempts to impose pre-fabricated democratisation measures on Arab countries. The meeting that started on Sunday at the Cairo headquarters of the Arab League adopted a set of resolutions on these three items. The resolutions related to the Arab- Israeli conflict and the developments in Iraq were very predictable.
Arab foreign ministers decided to re-launch their peace initiative that was adopted at the Arab summit in Beirut, calling for an all out peace with Israel on the basis of Israeli withdrawal from all Arab occupied territories in return for full and all-inclusive normalisation of relations with Arab countries. They reiterated traditional support of the rights of the Palestinian people, with hardly any emphasis on the right to resist occupation. Emphasis was saved for directives calling on all Palestinian factions to ensure unity among Palestinian ranks.
A condemnation of the illegal Israeli construction of the separation wall on occupied Palestinian territories was almost the only new element in an otherwise almost cliched resolution that they have been adopting and re-adopting for quite some years.
The two senior Palestinian officials participating in the meeting, Nabil Shaath and Farouq Qadoumi -- both perceived as Palestinian foreign ministers -- seemed to be getting little attention from participating officials, nor for that matter from the media. Additionally, they seemed disappointed over the failure of Arab states to offer any new commitment to honour the long overdue financial aid they have promised the Palestinian Authority.
Calls for unity, restoration of full sovereignty and independence also appeared in the resolution that Arab countries adopted on developments in Iraq. The resolution was drafted by Iraq and Kuwait, enemies of the past 12 years that are now playing good neighbours and possible allies. The resolution offered expected platitudes on the misery that Iraqis had to suffer and the will they are demonstrating to build a new and peaceful Iraq.
The resolution stressed the role of Arab countries in enhancing Iraqi reconstruction efforts.
Reform, either on the collective Arab front or on the internal front of each individual Arab country, was the centrepiece of discussion.
On Tuesday evening, Arab foreign ministers adopted a "classified" two-page document on the measures required to reform the Arab League. This document is basically a compilation of the headlines of a 20-page proposal tabled by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria and of a 200-page document composed by the Arab League on reform of the pan-Arab organisation. This document may lead to some amendments in the Charter of the almost 60-year old Arab organisation. Proposed in the document that will be reviewed by the Arab summit in Tunis on 29 March is the establishment of new institutions, including an Arab court of justice, an Arab security council and an Arab higher council for cultural affairs, that could modernise the performance of the League.
However, as Arab diplomats explain, the Tunis summit will not immediately order these proposed institutions to be established within a certain time frame. "The summit would rather Okay in principle some of the ideas included in this document and then ask the Arab League to offer detailed outlines of their mechanism and mandate. These outlines will be then presented to the 2005 summit (that should be under the chairmanship of Algeria) for approval and initiation of establishment and operation," one source said.
According to Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa, "the most important element on this document is the emphasis it puts on necessary commitment by member states to honour all obligations they agree on, including financial commitment since it would be very difficult to reform the Arab League if it continues to suffer serious financial problems."
Moussa, however, hastened to add that the test of the pudding is in the eating. "The document in and by itself does not cure the ailments," he said.
Meanwhile, Arab foreign ministers reviewed a paper forwarded by the secretariat of the Arab League on the set of US, European and NATO initiatives that have been made during the past few months to encourage democracy and reform in the Arab world. Subject to particular attention were the floated ideas of the US-sponsored "Greater Middle East Initiative".
These initiatives were also subject to debate in sideline meetings with US Under Secretary of State Marc Grossman, who was in Cairo on Tuesday and held talks with Egyptian and other Arab foreign ministers. They were also discussed with EU foreign policy chief, Javier Solana, who was in Cairo for talks with the secretary-general of the League and Arab foreign ministers.
While both the American and European officials emphatically denied any intention on their part to impose pre-fabricated reform recipes on Arab countries, Arab officials, for their part, could not have been more emphatic in stressing their opposition to all attempts to enforce a certain style of reform or democracy upon them or their peoples.
"We do not need anybody to instruct us to reform. We are keen on reform, but we accept no imposition," said Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher.
"Our countries are working on reform but we also want to make sure that we are living in a peaceful region where development is possible," said Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwan Al- Maashar.
Both Egypt and Jordan presented the ministerial meeting with two papers to stipulate the strict Arab opposition to any attempts to interfere in Arab affairs under the pretext of reform. Both papers asserted that in the absence of a fair and comprehensive peaceful settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict it would not be possible to induce any serious reform that is conducive to overall regional development.
This paper was not particularly well received by member states of the Arab League. Some argued that Arabs should not be taking a firm stance on any of the proposed initiatives, particularly that of the Greater Middle East, as of yet.
"I believe we still need to discuss the matter with the Americans to see what they really have in mind," said Hamad Bin Jassim, foreign minister of Qatar.
Despite variations in the tone of reaction to Western initiatives for reform in the Arab countries, Arab foreign ministers were sure to underline their respective dedication to the cause of reform, stressing that reform can be neither successful nor sustainable if not inspired by, and measured to fit the priorities of, the Arab people.
