March 12, 2004

AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE MEETINGS OF THE ARAB FOREIGN MINISTERS IN CAIRO. ACTIVATION OF THE ARAB PEACE INITIATIVE AND EXPANDING THE ROAD MAP TO INCLUDE SYRIA AND LEBANON. MOROCCO'S FOREIGN MINISTER: THE MINISTERS UNVEILED A NEW VISION FOR REFORM THAT WILL BE SUBMITTED TO THE SUMMIT. NO FINAL DECISION ON THE REFORM PLANS AND THE MINISTERS WILL DISCUSS THEM IN TUNISIA BEFORE THE SUMMIT. ALL THE LEAGUE'S DECISIONS ARE TO BE MADE PUBLIC EXCEPT FROM THOSE þ AGREED UPON TO BE CONFIDENTIAL BY THE MAJORITY. EXCERPTS FROM THE SAUDI-EGYPTIAN-SYRIAN PAPER ON REFORMING THE ARAB LEAGUE. Arab Foreign Ministers concluded in Cairo Tuesday evening the two-day extraordinary meeting during. The Ministers have þapproved a number of resolutions on developing the Arab League (AL) to be þsubmitted to the Arab summit scheduled in Tunis.þ Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation Mohammed Bin Essa announced at the conclusion of the 121 session of the Arab Foreign Ministers Council on Thursday that the officials made headways in the talks on restructuring the þLeague.þ þ He added that they discussed Arab countries' commitment to pay their shares þ to the league's budget.þ The ministers discussed many issues during their deliberations, including þ peace initiatives and the future of the Middle East.þ þ Meanwhile, Secretary General of the Arab League Amr Mousa said that all AL's current þmeetings prepare for the upcoming Arab Summit in Tunis. þThe Arab League Council agreed in its closing þsession Thursday that all decisions of the League are made public except those þ agreed upon to be confidential by the majority of member countries.þ þ These changes came after the judicial committee amended the 2nd clause in þthe 7th paragraph of the 12th article for the internal statute for the League's council which stated that the ''decisions made by the council are þ private'' which led to leaking the decisions. þThe Council also gave its initial agreement to the Arab Charter for Human Rights after revisions, and the Charter was referred to the preliminary þ meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers scheduled this month in Tunisia in þ preparation for presenting it at the Arab summit on March 29th and 30th.þ þ The Council agreed to extend its contract with the Egyptian Ambassador þHussein Hassuna as Chief of the League's Mission to Washington for another two years, as well as for the Licenses Ambassador Yahya Al-Mahmasani for another two years in the Washington Mission. Arab Foreign Ministers decided, at the conclusion þof their meetings in Cairo on Thursday, to hold a special session at the level of þdelegates in May to review nominations submitted by 13 Arab states for six þvacant posts.þ þ The decision was taken following an agreement, hammered out during a closed-door session, specialized for settling this issue, conference sources said.þ þ An Arab League official said that the ministers approved extending the þ mandate, till the next session due in September 2005, for Ahmad Bin Hili, of þAlgeria, as the Assistant Secretary General for the League Affairs, Saeed þKamal, of Palestine, for the Palestinian Affairs and Abdel Rahman Al-Shaibani, þof Saudi Arabia, for the Economic Affairs.þ þ Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Algeria, Morocco, Sudan, Syria, Somalia, Iraq, Libya þand Yemen had proposed nominees for the posts of assistants. The Extraordinary Session of Arab Foreign Ministers' Council dedicated to discuss the issue of developing and promoting the Arab work and the mechanisms of the joint Arab action had begun on Monday in Cairo its deliberations. The Ministers reviewed the Tri-partite SaudiEgyptian-Syrian project for reforming the Arab League and activating its performance in addition to other Arab projects and proposals. Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs and the þPresident of the current Arab League session Mohammed Bin Essa said that þthe message of the Arab nation is based on living and producing to fight for þour right and asserts that peace is the strategic choice.þ þ He asserted, in his speech during the Minister's Council session, the þ importance of making all efforts to stop the fights in Palestine, condemning þ the Israeli acts that slow down the peace process.þ þ Bin Essa called the Arabs to help Iraq regain security and stability, rebuild Iraq, and maintain its sovereignty and unity, stressing the importance of the þArab contribution in rebuilding Iraq.þ þ The Moroccan Foreign Minister , said priority in the Arab joint action should be given to ensuring Arab citizens' welfare and meeting their needs. ''We should first meet Arab citizens' needs before addressing abstract ideas and other issues that are difficult to achieve,'' the head of the Moroccan diplomacy said, citing as most urgent needs improving the economic and social level and fighting poverty and illiteracy. After underscoring that the Arab states boasts all human and natural resources needed to reach economic and social development, Bin Essa called the Arab states to focus their joint action on consolidating economic cooperation by setting up efficient mechanisms, creating an adequate environment to attract investments, encouraging job creation and controlling brain drain. He also invited peers from other Arab states to deeply ponder economic and social problems in the Arab world and carry out economic and social programs likely to eradicate poverty and illiteracy and make basic social services more accessible to citizens. For the Moroccan Foreign Minister, an in-depth action, based on reciprocity of advantages and the exchange of trade, economic and financial interests, is needed in the run-up to the longed for-political harmonization and convergence. He recalled, in this regard, the Agadir declaration for a free trade area signed in Rabat on February 27 by Morocco, Jordan, Tunisia and Egypt, at the initiative of King Mohammed VI, as a model to be followed in Arab cooperation. He also deemed it necessary to modernize the Arab League financial and administrative management and to review the obsolete Arab charter, criticizing the "heresy" of annexed texts that are unbinding because they are void of any constitutional basis. Of the long-cherished dream that the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA/grouping mustering Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) would be similar to the European Union, Bin Essa said ''political and practical elements are not yet gathered,'' adding that the EU member states have vested their union with sovereign attributions, which is not the case for the UMA secretariat general. Secretary General of the AL Amr Mousa said that all AL's current þ meetings prepare for the upcoming Arab Summit in Tunis, noting that the AL þexceptional meeting discussed reforming the AL and will forward its report to þthe summit. Moussa said that he would refer a report to the summit on proposals put forth on the AL reform process. Failing to carry out resolutions leads to frustration and harms Arabs' interests, Moussa pointed out. The Palestinian cause figured high on the summit's agenda, said Moussa, adding that settling the Palestinian issue was the key to establishing stability in the region. As for the Iraqi issue, Moussa said that Iraq's future was the concern of all Arabs. It is now high time to support the Iraqi people in their effort to regain their independence and put an end to the foreign occupation, the Secretary General of the Arab League. Following the first session, Amr Moussa said the meeting has centered on the importance of acting in compliance with Arab League resolutions. He said ''measures, not sanctions,'' would be taken against any country that fails to comply with future Arab League resolutions. As for Tunisia's upcoming Arab summit, Moussa said its topics would cover the rehabilitation of the Arab League, joint Arab action, pro-Arab initiatives, Iraq and Palestine. The Arab League Chief expressed his dissatisfaction with the foreign Middle East related initiatives, affirming that it was unacceptable to know about them from press reports. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher called for activating Arab action, and developing the Arab League to face challenges besetting the Arab nation. Addressing the opening session, Maher said these challenges include realization of peace in the Palestinian lands, helping the Iraqi people achieve unity and upgrading Arab societies by their own free will. Following the meeting, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said he is optimistic over reaching a unified Arab stance to face greater challenges facing the Arab nation. He stressed that activation of joint Arab action would guarantee a better future for Arab countries and peoples to achieve peace, prosperity and reform. ''There is an Arab agreement on achieving these goals,'' Maher said at a press conference. Discussions among ministers are being held in a quiet atmosphere and reflect a joint desire to reach a unified stance to be referred to the Arab leaders at their summit in Tunisia on March 29-30 , Maher said. The extra-ordinary meetings of the Arab Foreign Ministers are not meant to consider a certain initiative, rather they aim at reaching a paper to reflect a unified Arab stance as to the status quo, stressed Maher. Arab Foreign Ministers on Thursday agreed to submit proposals on democratic reforms in the Arab world to the Tunis-hosted summit expected to be held later this month. Ending their 121st regular session, the ministers agreed that draft resolutions proposed by Egypt and Jordan on reforms in the Arab world be brought before the next summit of the Arab leaders, stressing joint Arab action to enhance reform process in the region. The proposals stress Arab countries' keenness on continuing the democratic reform process by expanding the base of public participation and freedom of expression. The Egyptian and Jordanian draft laws include several points that stress the will of Arab countries to continue reforms and development process with the participation and efforts of enlightened popular organizations and enlarging public participation and freedom of expression. They also include cooperation with friendly countries willing to interact on a basis of equality and not impose a certain model. They also emphasize the availability of the conditions for success and reform which need justice, as well as obliterating feelings of depression by resolving the Palestinian issue and ending the Israeli occupation, resolving the Arab-Israeli conflict according to the Arab peace initiative, and respecting the sovereignty of nations. The ministers also prepared the draft agenda for the Arab summit which included several topics such as the Arab league development document, reforming the joint Arab action organization. The agenda also includes handling International ideas on the future of the Middle East, the developments in Iraq, the Palestinian issue, the Arab peace initiative, the economic file on developing the Economic and Social Council, and the issue of the three UAE islands occupied by Iran. On developments in Iraq, the council condemned the recent terrorist bombings on A'shura and welcomed the ratification of the transitional state administration law. The Council called upon Arab countries to assist Iraq and stand in the face of attempts to spread ethnic sedition, affirmed the unity of Iraq and its people, as well as respecting its sovereignty and independence and non-interference with its internal affairs. The Council also condemned the human rights violations that took place during the invasion of Kuwait and suppressing truths on Kuwaiti POWs and missing whose remains were identified in mass graves, as well as bringing to trial before Iraqi courts members of the deposed Iraqi regime for crimes against the Iraqi people and humanity and deny them safe haven. On the Arab peace initiative and developments of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the ministers stressed necessity to activate the initiative which was endorsed during the Arab leaders' summit of Beirut in 2002 and the revival of the comprehensive peace process in the region. They called on the world community to put a mechanism for implementation of Security Council resolutions regarding Syrian, Lebanese and Palestinian peace tracks. The ministers called on the United States to activate the Road Map, warning of grave consequences for Israel's continuous construction of the segregation wall which is ''aimed at aborting peaceful solution of the Palestinian issue.'' The Arab ministers called on the international community to help provide international protection for the Palestinian people and set free Palestinian detainees in Israel and force it lift its siege of the Palestinian people. They stressed that Al-Quds was part of the occupied Arab territories of 1967, denouncing Israel's policies to Judaize the Arab city. The officials stressed necessity to hold on to the Palestinian refugees' right for return to their homeland, and stressed commitment to financial support for the Palestinian authority, totaling 55 million US dollars per month which was endorsed by Arab leaders. They have also voiced support for Syria's just right in the re-gaining of the Golan heights, denouncing the Israeli aggression on Syrian territories last October. The ministers stressed full support for United Arab Emirates' sovereignty over three islands occupied by Iran, supporting all UAE peaceful measures to regain its authority on the islands. They expressed solidarity with Sudan and keenness on its territorial integrity, voicing support to efforts aimed at establishing peace and realizing national conciliation in the Arab country. They have also voiced support for Somalia's territorial unity and sovereignty, affirming commitment to Security Council resolutions banning export of arms to Somalia. On developments of the Arab Social and Economic Council, the ministers asked the Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa to present his report before the Tunis summit. The ministers have also discussed the Israeli nuclear and weapons of mass destruction, stressing importance of intensive Arab participation in preparatory meetings of signatory states of the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty due in New York next April. The Foreign Ministers stressed importance of making the Middle East a region free of weapons of mass destruction, and called on Arab countries to sign the Arab agreement to fight terrorism, renewing denunciation of all forms of terrorism. The Arab Foreign Ministers reiterated condemnation of all forms of terrorism while drawing a distinction between terror and the right of peoples to fight occupation and foreign aggression. They denounced international terrorism, but they refused to consider legitimate resistance against the Israeli occupation as acts of terrorism. They stressed solidarity with Syria and Lebanon in restoring their occupied territories, considering any Israeli changes in such territories as null and void. They also condemned Israeli practices to control water resources in the occupied lands. The ministers underlined the Palestinian refugees' right to return to their homeland and rejected any kind of settling Palestinians in other countries. A resolution by the Arab foreign ministers denounced terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Qatar and Morocco. It also backed measures taken by these countries to fight terrorism. The Arab ministers also slammed attempts to brand Arabs and Muslims as terrorists and highlighted that Islam has nothing to do with terror. They also called for an international conference under the UN umbrella on terrorism to distinguish it from resistance. Meanwhile, US Undersecretary for Political Affairs Marc Grossman said the US talks on reforms was not a new matter, reiterating that reforms should come from inside the region. In press statements after meeting Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, Grossman said the US was aware that every country in the region was different from the other and has its own characteristics. He said he tried to make clear to Maher that the US agreed with Egypt that reforms should come from inside every country in order to be successful. He also told Maher that reform cannot be imposed from outside because every country had its own special conditions and circumstances. The US envoy stressed that reform was no alternative to the US efforts to bring about peace in the Middle East region because realizing peace between the Palestinians and Israelis was on the priorities of the US. Asked about his opinion of President Mubarak's criticism of the US ''Greater Middle East (GME) Initiative'' for its disregard of the Arab-Israeli conflict, the US official said the Americans welcomed all ideas coming from the region, including those of President Mubarak and others. Grossman said that the US just wanted the reform process to get on and also wanted to see the region moving towards reforms. He said that the Americans wanted a partnership that aiming basically supporting reforms in the region. Maher pointed out that he listened to US ideas on reforms during his meeting with the US envoy. However, he said, the US envoy confirmed that there was no attempt to impose any proposals on the Arab countries or ignore the Palestinian cause. Egypt's Foreign Minister also reiterated a firm stance not to accept any imposed proposals and that steps were being taken in the right direction of reform. In his criticism of the US initiative, Mubarak had announced an initiative to reform and develop the Middle East which is to be co-floated by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria at the upcoming Arab Summit in Tunisia late this month. President Mubarak said Egypt submitted an initiative for reforming the Arab League in cooperation with Saudi Arabia and Syria, expressing the belief that remaining Arab countries would not hesitate to join this initiative that aims at reforming the Arab League. He said during the inspection of development and modernization activities at Cairo International Airport, ''we have also submitted another initiative for developing the Arab world as it is not logic that every country makes a statement in this respect,'' referring to the declaration by British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw of an initiative for developing the Middle East. Germans have also offered an initiative for this purpose. Mubarak wondered : ''Will we remain recipients only of initiatives.'' ''We have just launched an initiative for reform and development,'' said Mubarak, adding that Egypt has already started reform and does not fear anything. ''We rather fear for the whole region because this reform should spring from its very people as every people have their own culture, traditions, mentality and way of life.'' He stressed the importance of reform because ''we cannot remain frozen'', noting that ''we are reforming education, economy and democracy and calculate every step we take and its timing. External initiatives can blow up the whole thing,'' he added. Meanwhile, Bahrain's Prime Minister, Sheikh Khalifa Ibn Salman Al Khalifa, has emphasized the need for economic, political, social and cultural reforms to come from the countries concerned and not imposed by outsiders in order to be successful. He said that only home-grown reforms or those accepted by the citizens could be successful, adding that external projects were not in the interest of the region. "However, this does not mean that Bahrain refuses to cooperate or consult with friendly states for a better future," In an interview with Asharq Al Awsat, Sheikh Khalifa said He said that the US would consult about the initiative, but added that he could not assess it yet because Bahrain has not been briefed about its details. "However, we do agree with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah's statement that the success of reforms depended on people accepting them," Sheikh Khalifa said, adding that Secretary of State Colin Powell agreed with Prince Abdullah. "We in Bahrain are happy with the political developments which have been approved by the people, which guarantees their success," Sheikh Khalifa said. The three-way document, proposed by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria, included nine main items, topped by drawing up joint policies for the Arab League with executive mechanisms. The initiative also stressed the necessity of setting up subsidiary bodies that would help achieve the targets of the pan- Arab organization and be in charge of developing a relevant plan of action. The document highlighted the importance of promoting inter- Arab relations and coordinating security, defense and foreign polices. It also underlined that economic cooperation and integration should be achieved and monitoring and follow-up bodies to be set up. The three-way document also confirmed that the Arab countries should adopt Arab internal reform policies. The initiative proposed that four annexes would be introduced; one for the establishment of an Arab security council, a second for enhancing joint Arab economic action, a third for ratifying Arab League decisions, and a fourth for the setting up of a body to be in charge of following up the implementation of these decisions. The main target of this initiative would be the achievement of an Arab federation and going on swiftly with measures on political, economic and social reform in all Arab countries. Under the title of "A Report to the Arab Nation'', the document designed to rehabilitate the Arab League, included the establishment of executive bodies to be in charge of implementing the pan-Arab organization's policies. It also included the formation of a council of delegate ministers who would be required to fully represent their governments. The ministerial council would be in charge of setting up a general secretariat, the document said. The council would also form a commitment committee to be represented by Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Syria. The ministerial council, to meet at least twice a year, would also be responsible for drawing an action plan. The AL resolutions are expected to undergo a vote and can be passed by the majority of two-thirds, while votes of the abstainers would not be counted. The committee is asked to forward an annual report to the ministerial council, which has the right to vote against any resolution, to be taken by the AL. The three-way document was topped by drawing up joint policies for the AL with executive mechanisms. It also stressed the necessity of setting up subsidiary bodies that would help achieve the targets of the pan- Arab organization and be in charge of developing a relevant plan of action. The document highlighted the importance of promoting inter- Arab relations and coordinating security, defense and foreign policies. It also underlined that economic cooperation and integration should be achieved in addition to establishing monitoring and follow-up bodies. Arab internal reform policies should also be adopted by the Arab countries, the three-way document argued. It also proposed that four annexes would be introduced, one for the establishment of an Arab security council, a second for enhancing joint Arab economic action, a third for ratifying AL decisions, and a fourth for setting up a body to be in charge of following up the implementation of these decisions. The main target of this document is to achieve an Arab federation and go on swiftly with measures on political, economic and social reform in all Arab countries. Meanwhile, Iraqi Foreign Minister Zibari asserted that the official religion of the new Iraq will be Islam and that Islam will be the official source of legislation. As for those behind reviving religious discord in Iraq, Zebari said þ intelligence available so far indicates Qaeda-related organizations and þ extremist groups are behind the recent bloody acts. These are the only groups þ which stand to benefit from the attacks, he noted. þ þ On the new form of government in Iraq, Zebari remarked several þproposals had been made and the dispute had always related to the relationship between religion and government. Thanks to mutual compromise and concessions, this was overcome in the interim constitution.þ þ The sought federation, he said, would function as a republic that is þoperated according to geographical and historical bases rather than ethnic or þ nationalistic grounds. He added regions are to have authority over internal management while the central government reserves authority on foreign policy, þ defense, economy, and resources affairs.þ þ Disputed issues in multi-ethnic regions shall be addressed at a latter þ stage once the mechanism for settling property disputes are approved. The issue concerning religion and its role in the government had already been þ rationally dealt with, he stated.þ þ þ