Dialogues of Naguib Mahfouz: Summits with accountability By Mohamed Salmawy Mahfouz: The Arab summit is due to be held this month in Khartoum at a difficult time for all of us. What is happening in Iraq is something I hate to describe as sectarian strife. And we need to do our best to bring the situation under control. This is a new development in Iraq and something must be done about it. We cannot allow these current events to dominate the scene in Iraq. Islam has co- existed in various doctrinal forms for hundreds of years. Sectarian differences were infrequent in the history of Islam, and they always had a reason. Right now, allow me to say I cannot see a real reason for this strife. The attack on a mosque or mausoleum that belongs to a particular sect should not be reason for strife. In all likelihood it was triggered by foreign hands. The Muslims in Iraq, from all sects, should stand united against infighting. They all have one national cause; which is to get foreign forces out and rebuild the country. I don't see how this can happen while sectarian strife is turning the war against occupation into a war between Sunnis and Shias. I imagine that this problem can be resolved within an Arab framework. Could the next Arab summit focus on this matter and seek to bring about reconciliation between the two sides? Iraq mustn't descend on this slippery path. If it does, there will be repercussions outside Iraq. I call on the Arab summit to give priority to this matter. Iraq needs Arab help more than anytime before. Salmawy: Are there other topics the summit should address? Mahfouz: Praise be to God, there is no shortage of Arab problems, and all need to be discussed at a summit level. Sudan, which is hosting the summit, has problems, and so does Syria, to mention just two. But I want to call attention to an issue that is of concern to Arab nations at present; namely, democracy. I call on the upcoming summit to tell the Arab people what has been accomplished in this regard since the last summit. The Arab masses are not going to give up their bid for democracy. That's a quest that is no longer confined to one Arab country. Arab leaders should begin telling their nations, periodically, and at every summit meeting, about progress on that matter. The issue of democracy has been on the Arab League agenda for years now. It has been on the agendas of earlier summit meetings. And it's time we held Arab regimes accountable. We need to know what they achieved in this respect. Arab nations need to understand that summits are not just an occasion for them to display their differences and pick fights with one another. Arab nations expect accountability from their rulers. We expect to know what they achieved and where they failed. The summits should also address volatile issues in the Arab world, for unless we deal with such issues in a timely manner, they may engulf the entire region.
