Secretary-General Amr Moussa was addressing Arab foreign ministers gathered in Cairo to debate President Bush (news - web sites)'s "Greater Middle East Initiative" and set an agenda for the March 29-30 Arab League summit in Tunisia.
"As far as the Greater Middle East Initiative is concerned, it should not be confined to developing the societies but also to achieving stability in the region," Moussa said in his opening speech. "This stability cannot be achieved without a fair, correct and balanced treatment of the Palestinian cause and the Iraqi issue."
The Middle East initiative, modeled on the 1975 Helsinki pact that the West used to press for greater freedom and human rights in the Soviet Union and eastern Europe, is aimed at the arc of countries extending from Morocco to Pakistan. It urges them to undertake major political and economic reforms, especially those that would advance women, and to guarantee human rights.
The Bush administration plans to present its proposals at the G8 summit of industrial nations in June.
However, several Arab governments — including Egypt and Saudi Arabia — have already rejected the plan as a U.S. attempt to impose political reform, and some have come up with their own proposals. There is also a widely held perception that the initiative is already undermined by the U.S. administration's checkered record in the Middle East.
Faced with flat-out rejection from some of its closest allies, the United States has said the plan is just a suggestion.
In Jordan Wednesday, the U.S. undersecretary of state for political affairs, Marc Grossman, said the best ideas for reform will come from the region.
"We recognize ... the diversity of the region and that all countries are not the same and that all countries will come to their own understanding and their own plan," Grossman said after talks with Jordanian Prime Minister Faisal al-Fayez.
He said he told the Jordanian that the United States has no intention of imposing its ideas on the region.
In Cairo, Qatar's foreign minister, Sheik Hamad bin Jassem bin Jabor Al Thani, said Arabs should not reject the U.S. proposal outright. But discussions focused on an Egyptian-Saudi initiative that encourages Arabs to play a larger role in running their political, economic, social and cultural affairs.
Critics say the Egyptian-Saudi initiative, which is also backed by Syria, lacks specifics and seems designed to circumvent demands for reform. Still, it is expected to top discussions at the Tunisia summit.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammed Benaissa urged the Arab world "to be involved in the world's political, social and economic development. Arab peoples are looking forward to a better future and to overcome shortcomings and frustrations."
Also Wednesday, the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest Islamic fundamentalist movement, launched its own initiative for change, demanding wider participation in the country's political system.
