The next Arab summit

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By Naguib Mahfouz

After the great resentment that resulted from Tunisia's indefinite postponement of the Arab summit, we should now look to the upcoming summit set to take place in May. We were not expecting much from Tunisia's summit, but holding the summit, even if just to keep up appearances, would have been much better than this total collapse. However, let me say that after the Arab street refused to redraw the summit's agenda, the next summit will not be able to produce ineffectual resolutions like the ones feared by the parties behind the summit's cancellation. The Arab masses are expecting the next summit to live up to their expectations, especially since it has become clear that Arab public opinion is demanding that the summit convene.

But now, the question is, are the Arab leaders capable of taking the actions the Arab masses expect of them? I always believed Arab unity is already present in the cultural field, and that the Arab League is capable of doing much in the cultural field too. So if there are political disputes hindering the Arab countries from uniting, they could always agree on the cultural issues. But I found out that one of the main disputes in the preliminary meetings held prior to the cancellation of the summit -- and believed to be the core reason for the cancellation -- was a cultural one: it was a dispute over Arab participation in the Frankfurt International Exhibition. It has been decided that the issue will be excluded from the next summit.

* Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.