Jordan Times
Tuesday, June 8, 2004
Arab reform must come from
within — King
'The region recognises the need for
modernisation, and has made clear its willingness to embrace change'
By Randa Habib
Agence France-Presse
AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said Arab reform efforts will fail
if they are imposed from outside and fail to address the Middle East conflict.
King Abdullah was speaking to Agence France-Presse during an interview before
joining a summit of the Group of Eight most industrialised nations in Sea
Island, Georgia, on Tuesday at which Washington wants to push its own Greater
Middle East Initiative for reform in Arab and Muslim countries.
"Any reform process should emerge from within — ownership of the process of
reform is vital for its success — and initiatives seen as imposed from the
outside will only hurt the efforts of genuine reformers in our region," the King
said.
"Reform cannot be viewed in isolation of the central question looming heavy on
the region and that is the Arab-Israeli conflict," the Monarch said on the eve
of his trip to the United States.
King Abdullah said these are the messages he will carry to the summit, in which
he will be one of the few Arab leaders to attend along with Bahrain's King Hamad,
Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh and Iraq's first post-Saddam President
Sheikh Ghazi Al Yawar.
Washington's plan to push for democratic reform in Arab and Muslim nations from
North Africa to Afghanistan has triggered Arab and European criticism and
prompted the United States to revise its scheme.
Arab nations, meanwhile, adopted their own reform programme at a summit in Tunis
last month, pledging change but each at its own pace.
King Abdullah reiterated that this was the goal.
"The Arab world recognises the need for reform and modernisation, and has made
clear its willingness to embrace change. Both governments and civic institutions
have clearly set out their positions and commitment to change," he said.
"Countries and societies are best placed to define their own reform needs and
requirements, with G-8 assistance. Within the overall context of reform,
countries should be allowed to select the initiatives and particular areas of
reform to which they wish to give priority, rather than having to follow one
blueprint."
He explained that the reform programme adopted in Tunis was based "on Arab needs
and on revisions of many earlier ideas put forward by the West and the United
States," taking into consideration "each state's particularities."
According to the King, what emerged in Tunis helped narrow the gap between Arab
views and those of the West.
"The gap between these ideas has been largely bridged. What remains is to deal
with Arabs (countries), their issues and their particularities with dialogue and
understanding," he said.
"This dialogue is important and its success is key in achieving the reform and
progress we all are working towards," King Abdullah said.
Iraq is expected to be a central topic at the G-8 summit and King Abdullah hoped
that the United Nations, which contributed to the formation of a new government
in Baghdad ahead of the June 30 transition, will continue to play a key role.
"What is important for us now is to move forward towards elections next year,
and it is important for the United Nations to play a central role in helping
prepare for elections and to contribute to supervising them," the King said.
He also insisted on the future unity of Iraq that would guarantee "the rights of
the minority and not only the majority" — a clear reference to the fragile
balance between Sunnis, Shiites and Kurds.
"We hope that this will be done, and that those overseeing the elections will
ensure it is done," he said.
Finally, King Abdullah said Jordan was "willing to train Palestinian police and
security forces" as part of overall efforts to end the Israeli occupation of
Palestinian land in line with the internationally-backed roadmap to the Middle
East peace.