READERS of this newspaper rightly predicted that the Arab summit, which ended in Libya on March 28, would not be fruitful, as revealed by an opinion poll conducted online by The Egyptian Gazette and the Mail. The summiteers did not prove them wrong; they did not agree about the indirect negotiations or Iran or the development of the Arab League. Jerusalem was at the top of the agenda, but it was not clear what the summiteers would do to save it. Even the 500 million dollars that were allocated to save the holy city were in question. Who will pay? Who will manage? How could the money be used? Amr Moussa, the Arab League Secretary- General, stated that the summiteers would discuss the critical point of what to do next after the failure of the peace process. Nonetheless, the summit declaration did not recommend any strategic alternative option to the Arab peace initiative. Syria suggested returning to armed resistance. However, Syria is in contact with the US and Turkey over its indirect talks with Israel about the occupied Golan Heights. The Syrians should have asked themselves about their readiness to use their armed forces to defend Lebanon and to allow the armed resistance to have bases on their lands before making this suggestion. Is there a military solution to the Middle East problem? The failure of the peace process does not mean returning to war, but using political, diplomatic and economic power to address the problem. The military solution might be valid only if the international community supported the idea of sending forces to be deployed in the West Bank and Gaza to safeguard the Palestinians and their land. Other options, such as the one-state solution or declaring the Palestinian state in the occupied territory were not discussed. Even the summiteers did not address the military imbalance between Israel and Arabs that serves both peace and war. It is not impossible to address this problem by methods like investing in military industry, engineering and, diversification of arms sources. Moussa used the word “development” about the Arab League, and most probably he used it for a diplomatic reason, as one develops what is successful. In fact, the Arab League needs reform or reconstruction. The European Union started its partnership and neighbourhood policies after reaching a high level of economic union and integration between its members that are members in NATO as well. The Arab League members have not had the mechanism to resolve problems between its member states until now. Economic unity is still a dream. All Arab leaders have accepted the Arab peace initiative, but some like to talk resistance for internal causes or for serving other agendas. Let us say it frankly that those who talk about armed resistance and war want Egypt to fight while they make speeches on microphones. One may ask a hypothetical question. If the Arab League invited the Arab chiefs of staff or even the chiefs of staff in the Islamic world ��" and under the auspices of Turkey or Iran ��" would they fight together against Israel or would they fight one another in their own regional agendas? When Moussa proposed opening the Arab system to neighbouring regional states one should ask whether the Arab system is sufficiently integrated to accept others. Perhaps Turkey is the only eligible state to join because of the common history and interests with the Arabs. Iran still plays a role in the internal affairs of Iraq and Lebanon and was behind the Yemeni civil war. Every now and then, Iranian officials claim that Bahrain belongs to them. The Islamic republic occupies the three Emirati islands and is behind the Palestinian split. Even this proposal to invite Iran is a reaction to interference in Arab affairs. If it were a strategy, then Chad, Mali, Congo, Ethiopia and other Nile Basin states are eligible for membership. The reform or reconstruction of the Arab League should be built on the corpse of the dead Arab system. New rules need then be set, to which any country applying should abide, including using nuclear energy for civilian purposes only, according to international rules. This closes the international system against Israel and Iran until they both fully open their nuclear facilities fully for international inspection together with removal of any nuclear arms from the region. The Arabs are not weak, but they weakened themselves when they unveiled their strategies for others to use, notably the Palestinians, Iraqis and Lebanese. [email protected] Hany is a regular contributor to The Egyptian Gazette and its weekly edition the Egyptian Mail
