Posted on 03/28/2004 7:55:51 PM PST by Mark Felton
TUNIS, March 28 — Arab governments were in disarray on Sunday after the Arab League summit meeting, set to grapple with vital regional issues like democratic reform, Arab-Israeli bloodshed and the American occupation of Iraq, was abruptly called off just before it was to open Monday.
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The exact reason is a matter of some dispute, but all sides viewed the meeting's collapse — even as some heads of state were on their way — as an embarrassment. It was a stark public admission that the commitment to change voiced by Arab leaders risks becoming just more words.
The Arab League is infamous for its fractious gatherings, but even its most experienced bureaucrats described the cancellation as extraordinary. Some commentators thought the collapse inevitable from the start. The very idea of reform remains too divisive, and many nations' governments have yet to decide how to deal themselves with issues like elections.
"Every Arab country has its own deep problems, so I don't believe you can find a general answer," said Khairallah Khairallah, a political commentator and former editor in chief of Al Hayat, a London-based Arabic newspaper.
There were still attempts on Sunday to salvage the collective effort, however. The office of Egypt's president, Hosni Mubarak, issued a statement expressing his "surprise and regret" over the cancellation. President Mubarak offered to have the gathering in Egypt, arguing that differences of opinion were hardly sufficient cause to abort the meeting.
Foreign ministers said they were exploring possible dates in April. Tunisia still objected, however, saying the problem was the issues, not the setting.
Given the the American invasion of Iraq, and spiral of violence in the region, including terrorist bomb attacks from Casablanca to Riyadh, there had been some expectation that Arab leaders might commit themselves to change.
Certainly the Bush administration had hoped for some kind of broad endorsement of reform that might demonstrate that its decision to overthrow Saddam Hussein was having a positive echo.
Senior officials and analysts here said events in Tunis, while not without precedent, represented in stark colors the Arab world's inability to cope with American efforts to redraw the region's political map.
"You feel they are completely lost," said Mr. Khairallah, the political commentator. "The Arab League is finally feeling the impact of the fall of Baghdad. It took them a whole year."
A reluctance to take the first step toward reform was evident in the two days of preparatory talks about the agenda, which bogged down in details like how to present Arab culture at the Frankfurt book fair next fall, said several foreign ministers who took part.
Meanwhile, crucial issues like a joint statement of principles on political change and the league's reformulated position toward peace with Israel had barely been discussed and remained unresolved, they said.
Late Saturday night, as the 22 foreign ministers were reaching a strained if amicable consensus on those key points, Tunisia pulled the plug, announcing that it would not preside over a gathering willing to make what it called only a tepid commitment to reform.
"There was real horror on their faces," said Nabil Shaath, the Palestinian foreign minister, describing the mood as Tunisia announced its decision. "They felt that despite all their disagreements, this summit was important."
Another foreign minister described the rush to grab cellphones to call home and tell the various kings, presidents and princes due to start arriving Sunday to stay home. Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi, the Libyan leader, was reportedly on his way to Tunis, while the Iraqi delegation, lead by a Shiite Muslim cleric in a remarkable break from the past, had journeyed along Iraq's treacherous roads as far as Kuwait.
On the crucial issue of political reform, the general consensus had divided into two broad groups, participants said. One group was made up of those who wanted to resist what was seen as a fiat from the Bush administration for the Arab League to push for sweeping changes. The other group included those who said the call for change was not a Washington monopoly and that a wider urge for greater democracy had to be addressed.
It is thanks strictly to the Bush doctrine, that these authoritarian states are even considering democracy.
I think he's related to Duran Duran. I'll have to check.
Methinks he is more closely related to Sirhan Sirhan
Especially how to avoid being placed within twenty feet of the Israeli booth.
What a devestating analysis--by an Arab, no less. It's becoming obvious that the fall of Baghdad is the opportunity for millions of Iraqis to taste freedom and enjoy a chance for a better life. Just like the fall of the Iron Curtain, now millions have a chance for a better life. Terrorism and suicide bombers are products of total frustration and hopelessness. It's not religious so much as a reaction to weak, aimless governments who are corrupt and incompetant.
George W. Bush may come to be viewed as the pivotal world figure who reacted with compassion to the terrorist nations. We seek not to kill them all but to hear them and to help them.
Not only that, but president Bush has managed to sow disarray among the entire arab world. This is a wonderful thing from the western standpoint.
From disarray comes revolution and true reform.
Or maybe one of them actually figured out that the fashion show featuring the hot new spring line of burqas and explosive vests wouldn't go over real well.
I think he's related to Duran Duran. I'll have to check.
Or, at the very least, Boutros Boutros-Ghali.
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