Opinion - Editorials

Arab success and its limits

Major Arab countries that stood by mutely as their region was convulsed by external and internal pressures have finally made some effort to restore stability. Saudi Arabia made sure that the Palestinian factions, Fatah and Hamas, persisted with their negotiations in Makkah until they agreed on a national unity government. With the conclusion of this deal there is hope of the violence that caused over 100 deaths in the past few weeks coming to an end. A Fatah representative, whose nomination needs to be approved by Hamas, is likely to be appointed Interior Minister and given charge of all the security services. There is a chance that the cadres of the militant Islamist outfit will be integrated with the regular forces. If they are, the looming threat of a civil war could recede. While Ismail Haniya of Hamas will continue as Prime Minister, a Fatah nominee is likely to be given the status of Deputy Premier. The Saudis have promised to provide $500 million for immediate relief and more money for reconstruction and development as and when internecine strife ends in Palestinian territories. Such assistance would be vital since the Makkah agreement does not appear to meet the conditions that international donors have set for resuming aid. Hamas has promised to honour the deals the Palestinian Authority and Israel have struck in the past but refused to go further and declare that it would be committed to these agreements. The Islamists appear unwilling to accept the provisions of prior accords that recognise Israel's right to exist.

While the Saudis seem to have brokered a peace between the Palestinian factions, the Arab League has been less successful in defusing tensions between ethnic and sectarian groups in Lebanon. Although Lebanese Shias are largely Arab in ethnicity and language, the parties that command their loyalty, Hizbollah and Amal, apparently do not repose much trust in the League. They seem to believe that the supposedly pan-Arab body works mainly for the benefit of their Sunni rivals. Given the wider politics of the region, the negative response of these parties is not surprising. Hizbollah and Amal apparently believe that the powerhouses of the Arab world, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, are acting as the surrogates of the superpower in Washington's confrontation with Iran. Their attitudes did not appear to have changed even after Tehran made special efforts recently to improve its ties with Riyadh. The Saudis and the Egyptians can also do little to control Sunni insurgents in Iraq or to work with Iran in bringing the civil war to a halt so long as the country continues to be under foreign occupation.

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