Arab Summit Falls Apart Over U.S. Reforms

[JohnLocke]

Arab Summit Falls Apart Over U.S. Reforms
By Sam F. Ghattas -- Associated Press
Sunday, March 28, 2004
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TUNIS, Tunisia (AP) -- Egypt offered Sunday to host a summit of Arab leaders, trying to resurrect a meeting that collapsed because of deep divisions over how to bring more democracy to the Middle East and tackle the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Arab League leaders had intended to use the summit, which was slated to start Monday, to relaunch a 2-year-old Saudi-crafted peace initiative toward Israel.
They were also to submit proposals for political reforms in their countries in response to U.S. calls for greater freedoms in the region. Many of the most powerful countries in the Middle East are led by absolute rulers or royal families.
(...)
"Arab leaders are serving their own interests and their only motive is a hunger for power," said unemployed Yemeni Saleh Shawash as he gazed at newspaper headlines in the capital Sana'a.
(...)
Last week's assassination of Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed Yassin provoked widespread outrage in the Arab world, making it politically risky for some states to pursue a peace initiative or take a stand on a reform plan championed by the Americans.
A consultant to the Saudi government, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Egypt, Syria and Lebanon argued that talk of peace and reform was politically unwise in wake of Yassin's assassination. Jordan and Qatar argued that the Arabs should press ahead despite the killing, he said.
The reform plans were supposed to have been unveiled in response to the U.S. "Greater Middle East Initiative" to promote more freedom in a region where change could threaten the very existence of many regimes.
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Read the rest here.

[Darranar]

1. Interestingly...

these "reforms" were proposed by Musharraf, who is probably among the Arab leaders MOST in need of reforms.

This is nothing but talk.

[JohnLocke]

2. Commentary:

While Yassin was undoubtedly a bad guy, and Israel had every right to take him out, it simply wasn't a good idea at the time. At one point -- early in his murderous career -- assassination might have been a viable option, but in his later years Yassin seemed to become something of a figurehead, and some had observed that his frequent outbursts of rage towards the "Zionist enemy" had been interspersed with some milder statements in his old age.
Killing Yassin now serves no real purpose, other than revenge. All it will do at this point is prevent reforms in the Arab world and inflame tensions. Some might argue that these are empty threats that would take place anyway; but, as we see in the above article, the harms are no hyperbole. I suspect this is, at least in part, a political move by Sharon to avoid scandal over the "Greek Island Affair." And if it wasn't purely political, Sharon is even stupider than I thought.

[ex_jew]

3. Sounds like you're quite well informed !

What do you make of the "open season" on Hamas leaders Sharon declares ? This would seem to remove any incentive for good behavior on their part, seeing as their days are numbered anyway.