lucky wilbury
04-06-2004, 02:19 AM
http://www.cnn.com/2004/WORLD/meast/04/05/arabs.reform.qatar.reut/index.html
Qatar: U.S. reform proposals worth considering
Emir says Arab states face 'problems of our own creation'
Monday, April 5, 2004 Posted: 4:26 PM EDT (2026 GMT)
DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) -- Arab states should consider U.S. proposals for democratic reform rather than rejecting them outright, the ruler of U.S. ally Qatar said on Monday.
Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani also said Arabs could no longer use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and security fears to justify delaying much-needed political, social and economic change.
"The calls for reform coming from abroad need reflection by the people of our region before rejecting it...They should be carefully studied so that if it is accepted, it is with confidence and if it is rejected, it is justified," he told the opening session of a conference on democracy and free trade.
U.S. President George W. Bush believes lack of freedom in the Muslim world helps fuel terrorism and has pledged to promote democratic reform. But Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two key U.S. allies, have rejected the U.S. initiative and warned Washington against imposing ready-made recipes.
Arab leaders have complained the initiative does not address the Arab-Israeli conflict, which they see as key to the region's woes. Some have also warned the West that free elections might bring Muslim fundamentalists to power.
"Honesty obliges us to stress that the wrath in our region does not spring only from the Palestinian cause but goes deeper and is due to problems of our own creation that have nothing to do with the outside world -- problems that we allowed to grow unremedied and unchecked," Sheikh Hamad said.
"For years, loud voices have been coming out from the region...claiming that if popular participation is broadened it would only result in bringing in those who would endanger peace and put an end to security.
"Yet, the adoption of reforms has always been the right way to stability," said Sheikh Hamad, the absolute ruler in energy-rich Qatar.
Similar calls by the emir have been ignored by Arab leaders who were irked by the small Gulf state hosting the command centre for the deeply-unpopular U.S. war on Iraq and by Doha's contacts with Israel.
The emir, however, has introduced limited reforms and last year Qataris supported in a referendum a constitution paving the way for an elected advisory body.
The proposed constitution was the latest step in political liberalisation by Sheikh Hamad, who has pledged greater freedoms since he deposed his father in a bloodless coup in 1995.
Qatar: U.S. reform proposals worth considering
Emir says Arab states face 'problems of our own creation'
Monday, April 5, 2004 Posted: 4:26 PM EDT (2026 GMT)
DOHA, Qatar (Reuters) -- Arab states should consider U.S. proposals for democratic reform rather than rejecting them outright, the ruler of U.S. ally Qatar said on Monday.
Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani also said Arabs could no longer use the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and security fears to justify delaying much-needed political, social and economic change.
"The calls for reform coming from abroad need reflection by the people of our region before rejecting it...They should be carefully studied so that if it is accepted, it is with confidence and if it is rejected, it is justified," he told the opening session of a conference on democracy and free trade.
U.S. President George W. Bush believes lack of freedom in the Muslim world helps fuel terrorism and has pledged to promote democratic reform. But Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two key U.S. allies, have rejected the U.S. initiative and warned Washington against imposing ready-made recipes.
Arab leaders have complained the initiative does not address the Arab-Israeli conflict, which they see as key to the region's woes. Some have also warned the West that free elections might bring Muslim fundamentalists to power.
"Honesty obliges us to stress that the wrath in our region does not spring only from the Palestinian cause but goes deeper and is due to problems of our own creation that have nothing to do with the outside world -- problems that we allowed to grow unremedied and unchecked," Sheikh Hamad said.
"For years, loud voices have been coming out from the region...claiming that if popular participation is broadened it would only result in bringing in those who would endanger peace and put an end to security.
"Yet, the adoption of reforms has always been the right way to stability," said Sheikh Hamad, the absolute ruler in energy-rich Qatar.
Similar calls by the emir have been ignored by Arab leaders who were irked by the small Gulf state hosting the command centre for the deeply-unpopular U.S. war on Iraq and by Doha's contacts with Israel.
The emir, however, has introduced limited reforms and last year Qataris supported in a referendum a constitution paving the way for an elected advisory body.
The proposed constitution was the latest step in political liberalisation by Sheikh Hamad, who has pledged greater freedoms since he deposed his father in a bloodless coup in 1995.