Jordan Times
Sunday, January 25, 2004
King urges support for Arab reforms
By Alia Shukri Hamzeh
DAVOS — His Majesty King Abdullah on Friday called on international political and business leaders to support an Arab world movement for reforms, saying it was important for people in the world to understand that the Middle East was at a crossroads.“The issues in the Middle East are more complex and not easy. Now there is a new and more comprehensive appeal to tackle different types of reform including political, social and economic,” the King told the 34th annual meeting of the World Economic Forum during a brief Q&A session following his keynote address.
He said there would be no hope for the Middle East to move ahead if its countries fail in the development process. “If we fail this, we are an argument for many who expect us not to move.”
In his address to the WEF participants convening under the theme “Partnering for Prosperity and Security,” the King said it was time for the international community to transform into “practical and genuine achievement” the emerging moral consensus on global development and security.
“Today's global dialogue must become a partnership for action, for a new political will, and new mechanisms that will make our commitments real,” he stressed.
In his fourth address to the annual gathering, King Abdullah said peace, equity and justice were critical to the security of every nation and the foundations of an open, global society.
“The future belongs to those who see the world in its full dimensions, an undivided sphere. On such a globe, every point is a centre, and every centre is a person, entitled to prosper and succeed, in peace and security. So let us defy separation and isolation. Let us avert the clash of civilisations, and help the overlap of cultures. Let us partner for peace. But let us act now,” he said.
The Monarch stressed the need to strengthen the multilateral political system, saying international structures should be “robust enough” to broker peace and build nations.
He cautioned, however, that aspired and called for growth and stability in the Middle East and the world cannot be accomplished unless the core issue of the Israeli-Palestinian struggle was solved.
“With every day of delay, there is harm to the region and the world,” he warned, explaining that families and communities were being destroyed by the ongoing cycle of violence, which is obliterating all hopes of better living conditions and a brighter future.
The King also warned of the likely loss to the international community if it is not resolved to achieving a just and lasting peace.
At stake, he said, were the future of global peace and the credibility of the world's commitment to global justice. King Abdullah indicated that the unavoidable path for peace entailed genuine recognition of Arab summit resolutions and the Quartet-backed roadmap. The roadmap for Mideast peace, officially endorsed by Palestinians and Israelis at the Aqaba peace summit hosted by King Abdullah in June last year, envisaged the establishment of an independent Palestinian state by 2005, following three-year, three-stage process.
“This initiative provides clear principles and mechanisms for a just and lasting solution: Two secure states, Israeli withdrawal from the Palestinian territories and dismantling of settlements, two capitals in Jerusalem, and an agreed solution to the refugee issue,” the King said.
In a survey conducted in Davos during one of the sessions tackling the issue of renaissance in the Arab world, 50 per cent of those who were asked what they thought was the most important change Arab people would like voted for a resolution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. Twenty-eight per cent voted for better living standards. Although the vote for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict was the highest, it dropped by 10 per cent from last year, when the same question was posed. The ten per cent went to the better living standards' option, an issue observers believe is a result of growing awareness of the need for enhanced economies.
On the economic dimension, the King said it was in the hands of world leaders, businesspeople and experts to create a global growth economy that proves to the young generation it is a world of fairness, openness and hope.
“The Millennium Development Goals need to be reinforced with new benchmarks for assessing progress, for ensuring better and fairer trade, and for forging new global links,” he said during the 20-minute address. The first regional status report on the progress made by Arab states towards achieving targets of the Millennium Development Goals is being finalised for official launch by the UNDP in Amman in March. “The Millennium Development Goals in Arab Countries — Towards 2015: Achievements and Aspirations” will provide an overview of advancements and remaining challenges facing the region in achieving eight time-bound goals that encapsulate people's basic aspirations for a better life.
He called on all sectors to tackle issues of poverty and unemployment by producing “responsive, transparent governance, an educational system dedicated to excellence, and a vigorous private sector that can harness the region's tremendous human potential.”
According to recent statistics, Arab countries have to provide around 80 million jobs by the year 2010. An average of six million graduates enter the labour force every year. “We know that we must make tangible strides in human development, for the sake of our people and for the sake of our future,” he said, reiterating the importance of pairing economic reforms with political and social liberalisation to yield the sought after results.
“It is in our hands today to create not simply promises, but deeds. An era of peace, a global growth economy, expanded access to education and technology, and most important, a world of justice,” King Abdullah said, receiving a several minute ovation by the attending corporate and political leaders.