(Guardian-UK) Arab leaders, struggling to produce a united response to U.S. demands for democratization in the Middle East, Sunday promised to carry out political and social reforms at the end of a poorly attended summit in Tunis. Describing the meeting as "a summit to save face," Rime Allaf, an associate fellow at the Royal Institute of International Affairs, said: "It's a futile PR exercise - just to show the people they are not following an American agenda." The U.S. agenda is also in trouble. Proposals for Middle East reform to be presented at the G8 summit next month are a heavily watered-down version of the "forward strategy of freedom" boldly announced by President Bush last November.
2004-05-25 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive