There is one language between the Arabs
Regional, Analysis, 11/21/1997

Each Arab delegate gave a unequivocal reply when asked to host the fifth Middle East and North Africa economic. "No."

The decision on where to hold the next meeting had to be put off, because no Arab nation wanted to commit itself to hosting the next meeting -- to which Israel would be invited -- while the peace process is still deadlocked.

Indeed, the ruling Israeli Likud Party's attitude brought trouble to the MENA economic conference and left US Secretary of State Madeline Albright as the only foreign minister in attendance.

The conference's final communique called for a solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict based on the agreed formula of land for peace and condemned Israel's closure polices in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, despite Israeli attempts to word it otherwise.

The failure of the Doha conference to bring together the kind of high-level delegations it was designed to, ought to convince the US administration to change its Middle East policy.

The U.S. government must know that there are Arab states, and an Arab word. There are no Gulf states alone. Any conflict between the Arabs would be replaced by unity in facing any Arab country's crisis. The current Iraqi crisis proved that point.

Previous Stories:
  MENA ends with The Doha Declaration   (11/18/1997)
  Kuwaiti foreign minister in Beirut   (11/18/1997)
  Qatar critisizes Egypt for boycotting MENA   (11/17/1997)

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