Dueling Arab summits
The Arab public really is blessed. For instance, for weeks Arabs have been calling loudly and angrily for their governments to do something about the carnage in Gaza. Where an ordinary public might have to settle for, say, a summit meeting of their leaders to hammer out a plan for action, those lucky ducky Arabs ...
The Arab public really is blessed. For instance, for weeks Arabs have been calling loudly and angrily for their governments to do something about the carnage in Gaza. Where an ordinary public might have to settle for, say, a summit meeting of their leaders to hammer out a plan for action, those lucky ducky Arabs get two, even three dueling summit meetings. If only they could accomplish half, even a third as much as other regional groupings, no?
On the one side, Qatar is hosting a summit with 13 Arab states, including Syria, Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, Hamas leaders, and Iran's Mahmoud Ahmedenejad (2 states short of a quorum to make it an official meeting). Egypt refused to attend, in part because -- in the words of its own government -- al-Jazeera had hurt its feelings. Saudi Arabia refused to attend, with pro-Saudi writers denouncing the Doha gathering as the "summit of division." Fatah's Mahmoud Abbas stayed away, while Fatah officials openly criticized the Qatari initiative. At the summit, Qatar and Mauritania -- two Arab states known for their openness towards Israel -- have just announced that they are freezing their diplomatic and economic relations with Israel.
On the other side, Arab foreign ministers gathered in Kuwait for an alternate session dominated by the Egyptians and Saudis in preparation for an economic summit previously planned for Monday. The Foreign Ministers backed Egyptian cease-fire efforts, while the Saudis called for the Arabs to go back to the UN to demand implementation of Resolution 1860 (the passage of which they had previously claimed as their great success against all odds). A relief package of some $500 million for rebuilding Gaza was floated as well. I'm sure all eyes will be glued to Kuwait on Monday to see if they can deliver something ahead of Obama's inauguration.
The Arab public really is blessed. For instance, for weeks Arabs have been calling loudly and angrily for their governments to do something about the carnage in Gaza. Where an ordinary public might have to settle for, say, a summit meeting of their leaders to hammer out a plan for action, those lucky ducky Arabs get two, even three dueling summit meetings. If only they could accomplish half, even a third as much as other regional groupings, no?
On the one side, Qatar is hosting a summit with 13 Arab states, including Syria, Iraqi Vice President Tareq al-Hashemi, Hamas leaders, and Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmedenejad (2 states short of a quorum to make it an official meeting). Egypt refused to attend, in part because — in the words of its own government — al-Jazeera had hurt its feelings. Saudi Arabia refused to attend, with pro-Saudi writers denouncing the Doha gathering as the "summit of division." Fatah’s Mahmoud Abbas stayed away, while Fatah officials openly criticized the