Akher Sa'a: AL reform under way until March 2004
Regional, Politics, 6/28/2003

From today and until next March the Cairo-based Arab League (AL) will be a hive of activity with the main objective of introducing comprehensive reforms to the Arab organisation.

There is no doubt that the Anglo-American war on Iraq has had serious repercussions on the whole Arab region, a weekly magazine said yesterday.

These repercussions pose a serious threat to the very existence of the Arab world, whose governments need to bolster their joint action and cooperation, the weekly magazine Akher Sa'a said.

This week, members of an ad hoc committee, formed by AL Secretary-General Amr Moussa, will be holding a series of meetings to discuss and review the reforms required by the AL.

The intended reforms will be discussed by the Arab heads of state at their summit meeting in Tunisia in March 2004.

The reforms have been suggested by a number of Arab countries, the magazine said, adding that they are aimed at amending the AL Charter and the voting system on resolutions, and enhancing joint Arab action and stances on various regional and international issues, the committee members said.

The Anglo-American war on Iraq shows that there is something very wrong with the Arab world, and that many serious mistakes had been made which led to this war, they told the magazine.

One mistake was the weakness of the mechanisms to bolster Arab integration and joint political action, they added.

These mechanisms did not keep pace with the demands of the present and can not meet international changes and challenges facing the Arab world, the members said.

Therefore, a reformed AL -- assisted by new and active institutions -- is needed to strongly and clearly express the views and the will of the Arabs in the international arena.

Egypt was the first Arab nation to demand AL reform, refuting calls for its dissolution, especially after the war in Iraq, the magazine said.

In his May Day speech to the nation, President Hosni Mubarak highlighted the importance of prompt AL reform.

Egypt would take steps towards reformulating inter-Arab relations and activating the Arab security system, President Mubarak said.

Such goals can be achieved by the AL, which should be a capable platform of the Arabs, the President said, adding that Egypt would propose some amendments to set the AL house in order.

He assigned Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher to make the necessary proposals and officially present them to AL Secretary-General.

The Egyptian proposals included adding new appendixes to the AL Charter after the Arab leaders approve amendments, the magazine said.

They also call for changing the AL's voting system on resolutions as well as the creation of a joint body to follow up and monitor their implementation by the Arab governments, the magazine added.

Egypt also suggested setting up a special council to identify the needs of Arab security.

Saudi Arabia has also presented a working paper including some proposals for upgrading the AL's overall performance, the magazine reported.

The Saudi proposals call for introducing a new Arab League charter, of which the articles should be designed to defend Arab interests and boost inter-Arab cooperation in all domains.

Meanwhile, Libya, which has threatened more than once to withdraw from the AL, has made new proposals to reactivate the Arab body, Akher Sa'a said, pointing out that the Libyan government has proposed a new 21-article Arab Charter.

It has also changed the name of the Arab League into the Arab Union, of which member states are the only countries that have signed the new charter.

The Libyan draft charter calls on the Arab governments to adopt a unified foreign policy, a unified defence policy, form a common market, and a prohibition of the use of force in resolving inter-Arab disputes.

The proposed union, according to the Libyan proposals, would be based in Cairo.

In a related development, Qatar, Sudan and Yemen have made similar proposals for upgrading the AL and enhancing inter-Arab cooperation, amending the AL Charter, and speeding up the establishment of an Arab common market.

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