Cairo spelt out an ambitious plan to reform the Arab League. Nevine Khalil and Soha Abdelaty leaf through the proposal President Hosni Mubarak this week announced Egypt's proposal to overhaul the Arab League; copies of the plan have already been sent to Arab leaders and Arab League Secretary- General Amr Moussa. Talking to university students at a summer camp on Saturday, Mubarak said that the US-led war on Iraq highlighted several fault-lines in the international and regional orders. "It is essential to reform the regional and Arab order, as well as activate and revive the role of the Arab League," he announced. Mubarak stressed that the League must have the strength to "contain Arab conflicts at the very start with a modern system of Arab national security based on clear mechanisms". He concurred that the Arab League failed to solve the Iraq problem, but also faulted Iraq for invading Kuwait in 1990 and bringing this calamity upon itself. But these events are things of the past and Cairo's proposal would place the Arab League on "a new road towards common Arab interests, protect the Arab nation from similar crises [such as that in Iraq], and ingrain in our people a sense of belonging," said Mubarak. The Egyptian initiative primarily aims to "clear the air among Arab states, denounce the use of force in inter-Arab tensions, promote the role of the Arab League in activating joint Arab work and emphasise the importance of a common Arab market," he continued. The private sector would also play a major role in developing Arab economies and promoting Arab economic integration. "The economic aspects would lay the basis for a stronger political unity," argued Mubarak. Egypt also suggested the creation of an Arab Shura Council which could develop into an Arab parliament. Of course, in order for this ambitious plan to work, "all countries must adhere to the rules without exception", stressed the president. The 1946 Arab League Charter is outdated and requires many amendments, he continued, to which end he assigned a leading legal expert on international relations, Mofid Shehab -- who is also the minister of higher education -- to review the charter. Shehab was also a prominent member of the Egyptian delegation involved in litigation for the return of the Red Sea town of Taba which had been under Israeli occupation. The Egyptian side was successful, and the last few kilometres of Egyptian territory which had been under Israeli control were returned to Egypt in 1989. "We didn't necessarily want to rewrite the charter completely," Mubarak told his audience of undergraduates, "but we needed to develop the existing one to make it more relevant to contemporary Arab life." Libya and Saudi Arabia had also circulated their own ideas for reforming the 22-member regional body, and these ideas are expected to be the main topic of discussion during the Arab summit in Tunis in March 2004. Egypt apparently included several of Libya's suggestions in the proposal, and will also later be considering suggestions made by Saudi Arabia. The winds of change had already been felt on the Arab street when the US-led storm started brewing against Iraq. The majority of Arabs accuse the umbrella body of paralysis in the face of the crisis, and point to the numerous meetings held under its auspices, which resulted in little more than rhetoric. Since its inception, the Arab League has been unable to restore the rights of the Palestinian people, and more recently, has also failed the Iraqi people. When the US and Britain launched a war against Iraq last March, talk began in the corridors of power in Cairo about the need to reform the Arab League. Four months later, an 11-point plan was circulated among Arab nations to overhaul the League and give it an effective and central role in Arab affairs. The central ideas focus on institutional changes which would facilitate the work of the regional body. Egyptian officials are optimistic. "The Arab reactions to [the proposal] are very positive," Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher told reporters on Tuesday. "There's an appreciation that Egypt launched this initiative in an attempt to repair some of the fractures that have appeared in Arab cooperation." By this initiative, Egypt is in fact lending its weight to the League. The initiative, published in Al-Ahram on Sunday, dismisses any attempts to undermine the regional body and notes that its failures "reflect a lack of political will by member states to support the League and strengthen its role". For Egypt, the problems are mostly institutional, suggesting the creation of several new bodies such as a Crisis Prevention Council, an Arab Court of Justice, Arab Security Council (ASC) and Arab National Security Forum (ANSF). The ASC or the ANSF would serve to map out an effective Arab national security strategy. The ASC would be able to move rapidly to take definitive decisions without being hampered by veto overrides or the need for unanimous voting. It would also have the power to follow up and implement its decisions. ANSF representatives would be chosen from each Arab country's defence and security bodies, as well as other experts on strategy. Another creation would be an Arab Parliament which would add legitimacy to the League's decisions. It would oversee Arab League organisations, budgetary discussions, and assist in drafting the general policies of the League. Following the example of the European Union, the Egyptian proposal believes that any form of regional integration should be built on a solid base of economic cooperation; four suggestions for achieving this were put forward. First, an assessment of all previous efforts undertaken for economic integration of the Arab world; second, the creation of joint coordination committees in various economic sectors; third, proposals for joint economic projects; fourth, enhancing the role of the private sector in the economic integration process. The plan suggests several procedural amendments such as changing the voting system, which has for many years impeded Arab ability to achieve change. Most importantly, Arab states need to adhere to the principle of collective diplomacy and adopt common positions. At the same time, member states must settle their debts with the Arab League and continue to pay their dues on time in order to support the efforts of the general secretariat. Other sources of revenue should also be explored. Egypt's initiative also proposes improved coordination between the Arab League, other Arab groups and Arab civil society. Cairo believes it is high time for Arab non-governmental organisations to have a stronger role in the League's discussions. Nevertheless, it refrains from specifying exactly how civil society would be integrated into the work of the League. The initiative also highlights the importance of endorsing specialised Arab organisations such as cultural bodies, which often succeeded in connecting the Arab peoples where politics failed. This would be done by undertaking an extensive study of all such bodies in the Arab world and bringing them under the umbrella of the Arab League without infringing on their independence. According to the official proposal, the above changes can be institutionalised through modification of the Arab League Charter, adding an appendix or even rewriting the charter from scratch. But before this can happen, a healthier environment must be created within the Arab world, says the Egyptian plan. The first idea in this major reform project entitled "Clearing Arab skies" argues that resolving existing tensions between the 22 member states would ensure a more viable Arab League. "The Arab order is at a critical stage as a result of a new reality in the region," noted the proposal, "and this poses an imminent threat to Arab interests." What is needed is the removal of "all the dark clouds hovering over Arab-Arab relations, the fortification of the Arab foundation, and support for its main institution -- the Arab League."
