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May 22nd, 2004, 21:46
TODAY'S PAPER
Arab leaders to develop own plan for reform
By MARK MacKINNON
Saturday, May 22, 2004 - Page A14
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AMMAN -- Leaders of the world's 22 Arab countries gather today, anxious to develop their own reform program for the Middle East before U.S. President George W. Bush rolls out his proposals to overhaul the region's political scene.
Many Arab politicians are insulted by Mr. Bush's plans to unveil his so-called Greater Middle East Initiative, a strategy to promote political and economic change in the region, at the Group of Eight meeting in June at Sea Island, Ga. They feel any changes must be driven from within. At the same time, they say they understand the need for the overhaul is becoming critical, as the impoverished and repressed populations of many countries in the region become more restless.
"Arab citizens are, to say the least, not delighted with the state of affairs, and it's high time for the leaders to address the need for political reforms, economic reforms and social reforms," Bassem Awadallah, Jordan's Planning Minister, said in an interview as leaders assembled yesterday in Tunis ahead of the annual Arab League summit.
"We would rather have this addressed by the Arab world, assisted by outside powers, rather than having outside powers initiate reforms which are not sustainable because they come from outside."
A draft document the summit is expected to endorse, titled Development and Modernization for the Arab World, calls for an expansion of democracy, freedom of expression and the rule of law throughout the region. However, it's said to be short on specific plans to achieve those lofty goals, and contains no target dates.
Observers say many of the region's leaders are either afraid of the word "reform" or pay lip service to it in an effort to hang on to their jobs. That lack of real commitment, some say, has created a situation that could bubble over into civil unrest in Arab countries.
"The specific threat right now is from the right, specifically from radical political Islam," said Radwan Abdullah, an independent political analyst in Amman. "The more lasting threat is that, regardless of political ideology, there is a general discontent and frustration. There's a consistent demand for radical change in the systems of government towards liberal democracy."
The Arab League summit was originally set for March, but was cancelled at the last minute by the Tunisian government, which saw no point in convening a gathering that had slight chances of achieving substantive progress on the reform issue.
The divide is still deep, and as many as seven Arab leaders, most notably Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah, may stay away from this weekend's meeting, which is also supposed to address sensitive topics such as human rights and the role of women in Arab societies. There was also speculation that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi will not attend.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, trapped by Israeli forces in his West Bank compound, can't get to Tunis. After this week's assassination of the head of Iraq's governing council, Izzadine Saleem, that country will be represented by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
Participants say the summit will condemn the actions at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, and call for a quick transfer of power in Iraq and a widened role for the United Nations there. King Abdullah of Jordan is also expected to call for a statement condemning suicide bombings that target civilians.
Arab leaders to develop own plan for reform
By MARK MacKINNON
Saturday, May 22, 2004 - Page A14
E-mail this Article
Print this Article
Advertisement
AMMAN -- Leaders of the world's 22 Arab countries gather today, anxious to develop their own reform program for the Middle East before U.S. President George W. Bush rolls out his proposals to overhaul the region's political scene.
Many Arab politicians are insulted by Mr. Bush's plans to unveil his so-called Greater Middle East Initiative, a strategy to promote political and economic change in the region, at the Group of Eight meeting in June at Sea Island, Ga. They feel any changes must be driven from within. At the same time, they say they understand the need for the overhaul is becoming critical, as the impoverished and repressed populations of many countries in the region become more restless.
"Arab citizens are, to say the least, not delighted with the state of affairs, and it's high time for the leaders to address the need for political reforms, economic reforms and social reforms," Bassem Awadallah, Jordan's Planning Minister, said in an interview as leaders assembled yesterday in Tunis ahead of the annual Arab League summit.
"We would rather have this addressed by the Arab world, assisted by outside powers, rather than having outside powers initiate reforms which are not sustainable because they come from outside."
A draft document the summit is expected to endorse, titled Development and Modernization for the Arab World, calls for an expansion of democracy, freedom of expression and the rule of law throughout the region. However, it's said to be short on specific plans to achieve those lofty goals, and contains no target dates.
Observers say many of the region's leaders are either afraid of the word "reform" or pay lip service to it in an effort to hang on to their jobs. That lack of real commitment, some say, has created a situation that could bubble over into civil unrest in Arab countries.
"The specific threat right now is from the right, specifically from radical political Islam," said Radwan Abdullah, an independent political analyst in Amman. "The more lasting threat is that, regardless of political ideology, there is a general discontent and frustration. There's a consistent demand for radical change in the systems of government towards liberal democracy."
The Arab League summit was originally set for March, but was cancelled at the last minute by the Tunisian government, which saw no point in convening a gathering that had slight chances of achieving substantive progress on the reform issue.
The divide is still deep, and as many as seven Arab leaders, most notably Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah, may stay away from this weekend's meeting, which is also supposed to address sensitive topics such as human rights and the role of women in Arab societies. There was also speculation that Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi will not attend.
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, trapped by Israeli forces in his West Bank compound, can't get to Tunis. After this week's assassination of the head of Iraq's governing council, Izzadine Saleem, that country will be represented by Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari.
Participants say the summit will condemn the actions at Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison, and call for a quick transfer of power in Iraq and a widened role for the United Nations there. King Abdullah of Jordan is also expected to call for a statement condemning suicide bombings that target civilians.