The Hindu : For unity in the Arab world

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Friday, Feb 20, 2004

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For unity in the Arab world

By Shyam Bhatia

The occupation of Iraq and the U.S. threats to take the war to other countries have only deepened the crisis in the Arab world, with calls to confront George W. Bush's ambitions.

NEXT MONTH, Arab heads of state are expected to hold another summit, this time in Tunis. This will be the first Arab summit since the downfall of Saddam Hussein and the United States' occupation of Iraq. The summit is being held amid reports that some Arab countries are involved in secret talks with Israel for a peace treaty.

The war in Iraq and the Israeli-Arab conflict — the two issues that have sharply divided the Arab world — are expected to top the agenda at the meeting. Moderate Arab leaders have been severely criticised by radicals throughout the Arab world for supporting the U.S. invasion of Iraq and the ousting of Saddam Hussein's regime. The anger is directed in particular against the leaders of Egypt, Morocco and Jordan who have publicly backed the U.S. President, George W. Bush's campaign to depose Saddam's Government and introduce a U.S.-style democracy to the Arab world.

It is not clear at this stage if the U.S.-backed Governing Council in Baghdad will be invited to the summit. Some Arab countries have threatened a boycott if any of the "American puppets" show up. Two of these countries, Syria and Sudan, have made it clear that they do not recognise the Governing Council in Baghdad because its members were not elected by the Iraqi people, but appointed by Washington. Egypt and Saudi Arabia have asked that the summit discuss a new transatlantic initiative aimed at establishing peace, security and democracy in "the Greater Middle East."

The initiative, which has raised much controversy in the Arab world, is part of Mr. Bush's ambition to encourage democracy and openness in the Arab world. It is seen by Arab patriots as an attempt to revive colonial rule over Arab and Muslim states.

While Arab leaders appear to be divided on the Iraq war and Mr. Bush's plan for a new Middle East, there is almost a consensus among them on the conflict with Israel. Not surprisingly, the summit is expected to voice its full support for the Palestinians in their fight against the Israeli occupation and daily killings in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. More importantly, it will call on the international community to pressure Israel to stop the construction of the "apartheid wall" or separation fence in the West Bank.

Arab diplomats in London say preparations are already under way to ensure a unified Arab stance regarding the separation fence in particular and the Arab-Israeli conflict in general. According to these diplomats, a reading of the developments exposes the fragility of Arab cooperation and coordination despite unanimity that the situation in the Middle East is extremely dangerous and necessitates the closing of Arab ranks.

Saudi Arabia's crown prince, Abdallah bin Abdel Aziz, is scheduled to bring once again before the Arab leaders his U.S.-backed initiative for peace with Israel. The initiative, first proposed at the last Arab summit in 2002, was shelved after the Israeli army launched its "Operation Defensive Shield" in April 2002 to reoccupy the West Bank. The Arab diplomats revealed that new ideas for dealing with the Arab-Israeli conflict would be raised at the summit as an alternative to the Arab peace initiative adopted unanimously at the 2002 Beirut summit. The initiative proposed full normalisation of Arab relations with Israel in return for the Jewish state's withdrawal from all the Arab territories captured in 1967.

At the request of Washington, the Saudis have included new ideas in their peace plan. According to sources close to the Saudi Government, some of these ideas call for resettling Palestinian refugees in Saudi Arabia and Iraq as part of a deal with Israel. If true, it is inevitable that the Palestinians will categorically reject these ideas, insisting that they be allowed to return to their original homes inside Israel. The meeting in Tunis also comes at a time when some Arab countries, particularly Libya and Qatar, have signalled their willingness to make peace with Israel. The two countries are expected to win the backing of moderate Arab leaders for their intention. But they could also face stiff opposition from hard-line Arab leaders.

Regardless of the summit's outcome, the Arab leaders will find that the challenges facing them are greater than ever. The occupation of Iraq and the U.S. threats to take the war to other Arab countries have only deepened the crisis in the Arab world, with calls by many to confront Mr. Bush's grandiose ambitions. As one Arab diplomat put it, "This is the time for the Arabs to adopt unified, rather than separate, positions when dealing with the outside world. We must not allow superpowers to meddle in our affairs. The Arab countries will continue to face problems as long as they refrain from dealing with the outside world as one bloc."

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