Arab Sirte Summit between despair and hope

By Dr Mohamed Saleh Mesfer 
 
The Arab summit held in Sirte, Libya, from 27-29th of March, was preceded by speculation as to whether it was going to be held at the level of Arab kings, princes and presidents, or if the absence of some of them was going to be a prominent feature.  It was also speculated as to whether those absent were going to be represented by numerous staff members at the level of ministers and ambassadors.  People wondered what the reaction of Libyan Leader Muammar Gaddafi would be if it was estimated that Arab representation in the summit, at the level of leaders, was not at least 50%.

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A few days prior to the summit, popular delegations and civil society organisations, as well as political and intellectual leaders, arrived in Libya to meet Colonel Gaddafi and talk with him about the concerns of the Arab nation and ways out of the crisis within its regional political system. Written ideas from those national forces regarding an assertive Arab position were put before the Libyan leader. They especially centered around urgent issues such as the Palestinian case, including Israel’s rejection of all Arab initiatives and its continuous expansion throughout  Palestine with no deterrent to stop it; Iraq and what other crises are planned for its future; Yemen and what is happening on its soil and its water; Sudan and what is being plotted against it from inside and outside.

These Arab countries were worried about Arab problems and the future of the upcoming generations in these bleak conditions; including attacks on the educational curricula in every country in the Arab world in order to reform it but are in fact destroying it. They highlighted the preoccupation of Arab political systems in efforts to hound everyone in this nation who has his own opinion, the media attacks in order to silence every voice that talks about the rights and fights for our Arab nation and its rights, and advocacy to confront its enemies in every way. After hearing these opinions Gaddafi would say: “I will adopt all your views but as you know every Arab leader has their own views, but we do have to try.” Finally the summit was held with its legal quorum, and as assessed by the author, the chief guest of the Arab summit was Prime Minister of Turkey, Erdogan, who through his statement and his honesty, was above the level of our rulers.
 
It is clear from the statements of the Arab leaders that the atmosphere of the summit was overloaded with despair and hopelessness regarding their actions during the year between the Doha summit and the summit in Sirte.
 
The Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, chairman of the 21st summit which was held in Doha said: We will not delude ourselves, Arab collaboration is facing a severe crisis, we will not give the nation a report of our previous summits because we did not achieve anything that is expectant of the summit, and all efforts in this regard are not satisfactory. The Emir of Qatar protested against all Arab leaders saying: “Is it possible to just denounce and condemn all that is happening in Jerusalem and what Al Aqsa is facing?” His voice got louder saying would anyone believe that we, the leaders of this ancient nation, are not able to lift the siege imposed against the Gaza Strip for more than three consecutive years?
 
As for Amr Mousa, Arab League Secretary General, he clarified with honesty and courage the failure of the Arab system as it currently stands. He said that the Arab regimes would not dare take any serious action to serve this nation. He announced with all clarity the death of Arab peace initiatives with Israel, and that the option of peace with Israel as a ‘strategic choice’, without taking into consideration the option of resistance, has ended. However, Mousa kept transferring the issue to other neighboring countries to assume responsibility for the issue of holy land in Palestine, in the sense that the question of Palestine is an Islamic one and that Arabs can no longer act to free the land, and that Iran and Turkey, the two Muslim countries, have to deal with this matter, and that Arabs have to resort to the Security Council to defend themselves and prepare to face Israel’s expansion across the borders before it’s too late.
 
As for the opposing partner at the Arab summit, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, his silence was much better than his speech. He did not say what had to be done about lifting the siege on Gaza and its Palestinian population. He did not utter a word about the Palestinian people’s right to resist their enemies; all he demanded was to get the Hamas movement in the Gaza Strip under his control, which would serve Israel. The statements of Arab leaders were distributed to the media and on this occasion we thank God that they did not delight us with their rhetoric expressing their weakness and vulnerability in taking positions that are worthy of this nation. 
 
Finally, despair showed on the faces of our blessed leaders, and it became clear from their formal statements, and the looks on their faces, that they’ve become weak and humiliated. As for the Arab people, they still place their hopes in the liberation of Palestine on our Turkish and Persian neighbors, and we can only say that we have no power except that of God the All Mighty. 

The author is a professor of Political Science, University of Qatar

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.