INTERNATIONAL: Arab Leaders Warn of Protest Exploitation

At a conference held in London on Thursday to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the Arab International Women's Forum, politicians, academics and business leaders from the Middle East, Asia and Africa gathered to address the themes of ‘Emerging Economies and Leaderships.'

Asked to comment on the Arab Spring uprisings, Khaled A A S Al Duwaisan, Ambassador to the State of Kuwait, London, and Dean of the Diplomatic Corps, gave his insights to the Khaleej Times.

“This stage could be hijacked by extremists, fundamentalists and people who want to exploit the situation for their own good”, he said. This outcome he said could best be avoided by, “the awareness of the young people.” He urged them “to protect their revolution and take a secular approach so that all people including minorities within the country can benefit.”

He spoke of “the dramatic, uplifting and deeply painful circumstances we have seen in the Arab Spring.” He noted: “The yearning to be free lies deep in the human soul and cannot be bought by handouts or crushed by tanks.” He commended the involvement of confident and determined women working for change.

Taking up this theme, Nadereh Chamlou, Senior Adviser, Office of the Chief Economist MENA, The World Bank, said: “If women are not included, democracy will not happen. Women should not only be seen among the demonstrators, they should also be seen in the halls of power where decisions are being made about writing the constitutions and shaping society.”

Mrs Suhair Al Ali, Senator, the Kingdom of Jordan, said: “There is a democracy deficit in most parliaments evidenced by the low number of women.”

Maryam Al Roomi, the UAE Minister for Social Affairs, said the UAE set a good example for the region. Of the 22 ministries, most had women in senior positions with four women in the cabinet and nine women in the National Council. She said that “Our government has pushed us (women) to assume leadership positions.”

Raya Haffar El Hasan, Acting Minister of Finance, Lebanon, commented that the uprisings represent “revolution coming from within by the people for the people — which is definitely a good development.”

But she expects the process to be “a long and arduous transition which has to be accompanied by political and economic reform and socially inclusive measures.” She added: “We hope the new governments or regimes coming in will have the wisdom to really handle these reforms as smoothly as possible.”

She said that Lebanon was not in direct talks with Libya but expressed its views through the Security Council. With regard to Syria she remarked, “We are close neighbours with a lot in common between us. Just as we hope we can deal with our own problems without interference from any other country, we hope the same for Syria.”

Dr. Shaikha Al Maskari, Chairperson of Al Maskari Holdings and Tricon Group, UAE, said that in her view “democratisation in terms of the legislature and drawing up a constitution can be instant, in a matter of months, but in terms of mindset it would take longer.” She said: “For decades throughout the Middle East, Africa and Asia we have had a culture of corruption, a common thread linking advancement to government connections or friendships with a person in power.”

She said that the UAE and Qatar set a good example for the region in terms of ethics. “We have to instil in our youth the basic values of accountability and shared responsibility – we have to say no to corruption”, she said. She added that “our leadership in the UAE encourages us to be outspoken.”