Rice asserts importance of supporting moderate Mideast forces
Regional-USA, Politics, 9/11/2006

Strengthening nascent democracies in the Middle East is vital to defeat extremist, destabilizing forces there, said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The moderate forces are not very strong, but for the first time there are moderate forces in Iraq, Lebanon and Afghanistan "that have a chance to govern and govern well," she said.

"We've made progress," she told CBS News today. "We finally changed course to a course that has a chance for moderation rather than extremism." But Rice cautioned that strong governance takes time to accomplish.

Addressing the challenges facing the region, Assistant Secretary of State C. David Welch on September 6 told an audience at Tufts University in Medford, Massachusetts, that the Middle East region "stands now at a critical crossroads."

"Huge deficits in the areas of education, economy and politics" make progress difficult, creating a vacuum that in some countries has been filled by extremist elements seeking to feed instability," Welch said.

"Governments have been slow to respond," he said, but change is crucial. "They need time and space to come to fruition, but in that same period there are disruptive alternative visions."

Yet there are some successes. The Egyptian economy, he said, "through a painful process of economic reform, has been growing for the past couple of years at 5 percent (annually) and is expected to grow even faster in 2006." Even though that is slow compared to some Asian countries, Welch said it is a positive sign for the region. "Egypt's growth is allowing it to absorb most of the new entrants into the labor force and is beginning to change mindsets."

In Iraq, security is of paramount importance, and must be achieved "to give that nation a chance to strengthen its democratic foundations," he said. He added that continued international support for Iraq is necessary to realize economic and political reform in the country.

Welch took Iran to task for threatening international security and peace in the Middle East. He cited Lebanon, and Iran's support for Hizbullah, "a powerful terrorist organization, emerged as a 'state-within-a-state' because of the failure of the central government to meet the needs of its citizens." Welch charged, "Iran has also looked to replicate the Hizbullah 'model' in Iraq in order to further destabilize that country, and has enlisted the minority Alawite regime in Syria." Saying "Iran looms as an emergent, dangerous challenge," he emphasized the resolve of the international community to "see an end to Iran's effort to weaponize its nuclear program."

"We continue to hold out hope that Iran will abide by the will of the international community, but hope is not a plan," he said.

He referred to the Arab-Israeli conflict as a core concern. "Stabilizing Iraq, shoring up Lebanon and containing Iran are all part of a broader strategy that also seeks an end to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Welch said. "We remain committed to advancing the President's two-state vision of peace, and we continue to work with the parties and key regional allies to realize that vision."

Welch said economic reform is crucial in building strong governments and implementing reforms in the region. He said the United States continues to advocate greater market transparency, privatization of financial institutions and a Middle East Free Trade Agreement. To this end the United States works through two initiatives, the Broader Middle East and North Africa (BMENA) initiative and the Middle East Partnership Initiative (MEPI) to support civil societies in transition. The two initiatives seek to build up educational, economic and democratic institutions, and empower socially vulnerable groups.

Previous Stories:
  Bush: War on Terror decisive for 21st century struggle   (8/31/2006)
  David Welch: US committed to Lebanon's security   (8/16/2006)
  Iran - US exchange criticism on Hizbullah, regional policies   (8/14/2006)

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