Withstanding pressure

In Tunis, Dina Ezzat reports on attempts by Arab leaders to address regional and international problems, and talks to Amr Moussa about the outcome

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Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa says he is "content" with the results of the Arab summit that ended on Sunday in Tunis. "I think we did a good job. It is true that there is so much more that we have to do to deal with the major problems we are confronted with, and the huge sense of frustration that we are all suffering from," Moussa told Al-Ahram Weekly after the conclusion of the summit in Tunis.

However, he did not seem satisfied with the fact that the summit had offered initial support to massive reforms of the Arab League, and the Arab world in general, and in the end only passed a few of the numerous ideas he had put forward in relation to restructuring the nearly 60-year-old organisation.

The Arab summit in Tunis gave the go-ahead to Moussa's plan to re-organise the Arab League Social and Economic Council (ECOSOC). Although his original proposal to raise the level of representation to ECOSOC to that of prime ministers was turned down, other key aspects of his proposal were approved; ones that will make this apparatus of inter-Arab cooperation more effective than ever.

Meanwhile, Moussa did not say that he is unhappy about the decision of the summit to defer decision-making on a set of other proposals, including the establishment of an Arab parliament, a collective Arab security system, an Arab court of justice and an Arab security council.

"The leaders in Tunis have asked for a detailed legal study of these proposals and of the best way to proceed with them. A decision will be made in Algeria next year by the Arab summit," the secretary-general said. He would not, however, comment on whether or not he perceived this move as an attempt to delay the reform of the Arab League by some member states, who have publicly -- sometimes even officially -- expressed indifference over the pan-Arab organisation, and have been reluctant to honour their financial ties to it.

"This is a moment when I want to try to wear the spectacles of hope and optimism. The Arab summit said it will look carefully into the proposals that I drafted, in light of several proposals presented by a number of Arab states to the secretariat of the Arab League in relation to overhauling the system of inter-Arab relations," Moussa told the Weekly.

He added emphatically that it is not a personal agenda to reform the Arab League. "This is the wish of Arab countries that presented their ideas for reform. It is the wish of Arab leaders who elected me as secretary-general at the Amman summit in 2001 on a reform agenda. And it is the wish of the Arab people to see the Arab League reformed," he said.

Reform of the Arab League is not "optional", Moussa said -- not if the League is to live on and to be effective. "But reform is a process that cannot be executed overnight. Yes, it could be a quick process or a slow process, depending on will and commitment, but let us now hope that this process has been initiated somehow and it will go on and pick up a good pace," he added.

The process of reforming the Arab League's structure will not be shelved until next March in Algeria. There will be much work done on this issue before Arab leaders convene in 2005. "Specialised legal groups will be meeting to discuss the issue. Representatives to the Arab League will deal with the issue and so will Arab foreign ministers. This is for sure," he added.

Moussa was not prepared to take questions about whether or not he will have time to put the process in motion before his first -- and some predict his only -- term as secretary- general of Arab League expires in May 2006. Since he assumed his post as secretary-general, Moussa has been very dedicated to the issue of reforming the League. Many agree that he has put the Arab League on the map of international politics and international events.

Critics say, however, that this was bad for the League, and that already existing inter-Arab disputes do not allow the organisation to work as anything more than an umbrella for Arab relations. For their part, supporters argue that by taking the League to the forefront of world politics, and to the heart of regional affairs, Moussa has actually exposed the weaknesses of the organisation that before were not obvious, when it was merely a meeting venue for Arab officials.

Moussa's staunchest critics -- especially Kuwaitis, who remain heavily critical of his opposition to the war on Iraq -- are resisting any attempts by the secretary-general to make the League a truly effective regional organisation. His supporters -- who are now backed by Cairo -- believe that in the face of increasing Israeli aggression and intransigence, coupled with US policy miscalculations in the Middle East, the Arab League has to take a firm stand, representing the collective Arab nation.

Moussa is very aware of the different tides of opinion on the subject. His speech addressed to the opening session of the Arab summit on Saturday was a clear message to both critics and supporters.

The wording, tone and delivery of Moussa's powerful speech spoke volumes. The Arab League, he said, is standing on the verge of an abyss and it could go under, not simply because of foreign attacks that aim to erase it altogether, but also because of the reluctance demonstrated by some member states whose policies oppose the role of the League. Moussa made it clear he will oppose all attempts to undermine the League for as long as he holds his post.

Moussa's speech, commentators said, was a clear message of frustration and fury -- not just his own but of the Arab people in general, angered by the failure of this Arab organisation to support Arab rights.

Moussa also spoke on behalf of the Arab nation to the opening session of a summit that was delayed for six weeks following a unilateral decision by the Tunisian host. The explanation offered referred to concerns over the level of participation by Arab heads of state who in turn seemed keen to avoid a summit set to discuss issues of reform. "It has been for [too] long that the entire [Arab] nation has been waiting for this meeting. The nation that is living in frustration and fury is hoping for a collective Arab stance that confronts the challenges it is faced with, makes use of the will of the people and opens the gates to democracy and economic welfare," he said in his speech.

The speech offered a compact review of the efforts undertaken over the past three years to improve the Arab League's performance, and the problems encountered in attempting to bring about reform. Special reference was made to the failure of member states to honour their financial commitments to the League, as well as their appointment of unqualified candidates in order to fill posts required by the organisation's quota.

The speech received a very positive reaction from some delegations, but a very negative response from some others, whose members left the session vowing to make Moussa's job tougher than ever before.

In his interview with the Weekly following the summit's final session, Moussa did not seem at all worried by these negative reactions, nor, for that matter, by threats. "I said what I really believed I had to say. This is a very serious moment [and] the Arab world is confronted with real serious threats. I mean it. The Arab world is faced not only with political threats, but with some serious cultural and economic threats. And I would have never shied away from dotting the Is and crossing the Ts at this moment," Moussa said.

He added that he will continue to do everything within his power to serve the mandate of reform on which he was elected, to honour his responsibility as "an Arab citizen and official", and resist all attempts to dilute the identity of the Arab nation and compromise its legitimate rights. Such rights include the people's right to determine their own future and to make that future prosperous for coming generations.

Speaking in a very peaceful tone -- in sharp contrast with the combative tone of his speech before the summit -- Moussa said that he would not have found it honest to say anything other than what he said. "It is not my intention to get into confrontations. The Arab League is about the Arab countries, their will, their dreams and their commitment. I hope that this message was clear for all, or at least that it will be clear for all," he said.

The secretary-general spent the last six weeks travelling to Arab capitals to secure the convocation of the summit after it was called off by Tunis in late March. At the time, the decision split the Arab countries into two camps. Some supported Tunis, and others were furious. The gulf was so wide that some thought the Arab summit would never convene again -- that the secretary-general would resign and that the League would collapse altogether.

Moussa did not resign. "It was a moment where my responsibilities became my top priority," he said. The summit convened and the Arab League -- established in March 1945 -- was promised reform as a gift for its 60th birthday. Moussa, the sixth secretary-general of the pan-Arab organisation, is determined that he will do everything possible to have the gift delivered on time. "From Tunis to Algeria there is ample time. With resolve and commitment, we can make it," he said.