Jordan Times
Tuesday, March 16, 2004

'Arabs must adopt homegrown reforms'

Fayez made the remarks at a meeting here with the European Union's Middle East envoy Marc Otte, which was also attended by Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher.

“Any reform should take into consideration a just solution for the Palestinian cause and must be self-initiated,” from inside the region, Fayez told Otte.

He also reiterated concern that any unilateral Israeli measure, such as planned pullout from the Gaza Strip, “will undermine the peace process and the roadmap” blueprint for a solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Muasher, meanwhile, said he hopes this month's Arab summit will adopt guidelines for regional reforms before they are imposed from outside the region.

“I hope that the Arab summit ... will agree on a set of principles that include the key elements for reform in the region so that they will not be imposed from the outside,” Muasher said, quoted by Petra. “Reform must come from inside the region and the international community must back up the efforts that are being made in the region,” Muasher said after separate talks with Otte and Bernard Emie, a former French ambassador to Jordan who now heads the North Africa and Middle East section at the French foreign ministry.

“We cannot speak of reform that is imposed from the outside,” he said, adding that he made that point clear during talks with senior US officials last week in Washington, including Secretary of State Colin Powell.

The United States is seeking to unveil a “Greater Middle East Initiative” to promote democracy in Arab and Muslim states during the Group of Eight summit of industrialised nations that convenes in June.

But several Arab countries, including US allies Egypt and Saudi Arabia, have criticised the initiative, fearing Washington wants to impose its own cultural models on the region.

Arab countries have also insisted that the United States must help find a settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict to improve the atmosphere for reform in the region.

At a meeting of Arab foreign ministers in Cairo earlier this month, Jordan submitted a counter-initiative to the US plan stressing that Arab countries pledge to continue the road to reform. Those proposals are expected to be submitted to the Arab summit that will be held in Tunis March 29-30.

Emie and Muasher discussed French ideas for regional reform, Petra said, without giving details.

But Muasher later said that Europe's views on regional reform are very close to those of Jordan.

He also discussed with the European envoys a unilateral Israeli plan to pullout from the Gaza Strip that Jordan fears could undermine the Palestinian-Israeli peace process and an international “roadmap” blueprint for peace.

“If the pullout from Gaza takes place in the appropriate way, it could serve as a chance (to further peace) but it would be a catastrophe if it was not well organised,” Muasher said.

“We would like Gaza to be turned over in its entirety to the Palestinian Authority and we would like a withdrawal to be part of the roadmap,” he said.

Muasher stressed that any pullout from Gaza “should be the first step towards the end of Israeli occupation” and pave the way for the creation of an independent Palestinian state.

Also on Monday, Muasher telephoned Palestinian ministers of planning and negotiations, Nabil Shaath and Saeb Erekat respectively, in addition to Arab League chief Amr Musa to brief them on the results of his Washington visit.

Muasher also made similar phone calls with his Saudi and Egyptian counterparts, Prince Saudi Al Faisal and Ahmed Maher.

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