Freedom has no nationality
President Hosni Mubarak's European tour, however brief, came at a crucial time. The president visited three countries, all with variant views on the Middle East.
Italy has close ties with Israel. France, meanwhile, while critical of US policies, is a voice of reason. The UK, for its part, has a government committed to toeing the US line. The president discussed Palestine and Iraq, reform initiatives, and bilateral ties during the tour. Earlier, Mubarak visited several Gulf states and spoke via telephone with other Arab leaders in an attempt to formulate a common Arab view that would make sense to the Europeans.
Most Arab leaders are of the view that an even-handed EU policy can bring balance to Arab issues and the region. The EU cannot supplant the US role, so dominant now because of international circumstance and the extensive military and economic US presence in the region. What the EU can do is to complement the US role. The Europeans still enjoy credibility in the Arab world, an advantage that the Americans would only reclaim once Washington begins to put pressure on Israel, its close ally.
The topics on Mubarak's agenda were complex and varied, with reform topping the list. Reform is a relatively new issue in these kinds of talks, and the fact that Arab leaders are bringing it up in consultations reflects the political resolve among the region's nations to promote it.
Reform, obviously, is not the sort of thing outsiders can impose. But consultations are deemed helpful, so long as they are followed with serious steps in that direction.
Intellectuals and journalists should not interpret the acceleration of reform measures as a sign of weakness vis-a-vis foreign pressure. The outcome is what matters. The peoples of our region are waiting for genuine results. Freedom is indivisible and has no nationality. It is a natural right for every human being, and the earlier it is achieved the better.
