CAIRO – Egypt has canceled a meeting meant to bring together
representatives of the Arab League with the G-8 group of industrial nations after coming under pressure from the United States.
President Hosni Mubarak's government said it has postponed the meeting
between G-8 and Arab League ministers planned for March 3. Officials said
the meeting would take place at an unspecified later date.
The G-8 meeting was meant to discuss reform and democracy with Arab
ministers, Middle East Newsline reported. Officials said several Arab countries balked and demanded changes
in the agenda.
The Egyptian cancellation of the G-8 meeting was said to have been
linked to the arrest of a reformist leader earlier this month. Mubarak
canceled the G-8 meeting after Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice insisted
on the release of Ayman Nour before representatives of the industrialized
nations arrived in Cairo.
On Feb. 25, Egyptian security agents broke up a meeting in Cairo of
Nour's Al Ghad Party and beat up three senior members of the movement. For
his part, Nour has launched a hunger strike to protest his imprisonment.
"This will require a meeting of the Arab League to agree to the agenda
of the G-8," an Egyptian government source said. "This could take some
time."
The G-8, with U.S. encouragement, has launched the Broader Middle East
and North African Initiatives meant to foster reform in the region. The G-8
meeting was one a series of sessions planned in 2005 to advance the
prospects of reform in
the Middle East.
Over the weekend, Mubarak called on parliament to pass legislation that
would ensure multi-candidate elections for president. Until now, parliament
chose a candidate for president, who was then ratified in a national
referendum.
"The election of a president will be through direct, secret balloting,
giving the chance for political parties to run for the presidential
elections and providing guarantees that allow more than one candidate for
the people to choose among them with their own will,'' Mubarak said.
"We have made clear our view that we think Mr. Nour deserves to be
released," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. "We have made
that clear in public. It's one area where we continue to have a dialogue
with the Egyptians."
In April 2005, Arab League finance ministers plan to visit Washington
for a discussion with the United States on economic and financial reform.
The following month, Jordan has scheduled a meeting of Arab education
ministers to discuss revisions in the curriculum to prevent the spread of Al
Qaida philosophy. In November, Bahrain was expected to host the Forum for
the Future meeting.