The Arab League (AL), formed over half a century ago, is now facing grave challenges as it struggles to stay relevant amid open internal rifts and avoid being sidelined in resolving regional crises. 

Analysts believe the future of the Pan-Arab organization largely depends on whether it can maintain its fragile internal unity and play a constructive role in resolving two pressing regional issues: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iraq.

Delayed summit highlights internal rifts

The Arab League has been charged with a grand mission ever since it came into existence in 1945 -- to strengthen Arab positions on both regional and international issues through joint efforts and common action.

As its membership has expanded from seven to 22, the Arab League is struggling to maintain a fragile internal unity.

Analysts said the delaying of this year's AL summit showed how hard it is for the organization to stick to its mission.

On March 27, two days before a scheduled AL summit, Tunisia, the host country, made a surprise announcement to postpone the meeting, tantamount to dropping a bombshell to the pan-Arab organization.

The AL Secretary General Amr Moussa, a strong supporter of Arab unity, said shortly after the announcement that the postponement would have a "grave" impact on collective Arab action.

The scheduled summit would be the first to be held after a US-led war on Iraq while its postponement was also the first of its kind in the league's 59-year history.

"The delay came as people across the Arab world waited for the Arab League to do something to tackle the regional crises, notably the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iraq, " said Rabie Saber, a Cairo-based political science professor.

"That was really disappointing," he said. "It further threatened collective Arab action towards regional and international issues."

The summit finally managed to be held on May 22-23, nearly two months later than the original date, as a result of intensive cross-country discussions and consultations.

Only 14 heads of states were present while the other eight leaders bowed out for various reasons.

The revived gathering, however, was not going smoothly as Libyan leader Muammar Ghaddafi walked out of the meeting hall about half an hour after its opening, in protest against the meeting's agenda.

"Libya sees itself forced to boycott the summit because it does not agree with the agenda," said Ghaddafi, accusing the pan-Arab bloc of failing to take up his proposal for a single Palestinian-Israeli state.

Libya has repeatedly threatened to withdraw from the 22-member Arab League, only reversed its decision after being persuaded by other Arab states.

Ghaddafi also engaged in a public quarrel with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz over the latter's alliance with the United States at last year's summit in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.

An Egyptian analyst told Xinhua that the postponement and internal Arab rifts disappointed the Arab public since most of the Arabs pinned great hope on the summit to take strong decisions concerning dangers and threats facing the Arab world.

Sayed Eliwa, professor at Helwan University in Cairo, said it was a deep failure and the Arab people would probably pay a dear price for it.

"There is deep misunderstanding among Arab countries. Each state concentrates on its individual interests while disregarding the whole," Eliwa said.

"Though Arab countries have common religion, culture and language, it is regrettable that we have no common vision for the future like the European Union," he said.

However, for Said Kemal, the AL deputy secretary general for Palestinian affairs, the league should not be blamed for those internal disagreements.

"The Arab League is a big family which brings together all the Arabs," he said. "It is unacceptable that some people accuse the Arab League bitterly to weaken or abort its role."

The AL official added, "The Arab League is committed to resolving constantly popping-up internal disagreements within its framework, which is exactly what it should do."

Avoiding being sidelined on major regional crises

The past 12 months have witnessed some major events in the development of two regional crises: the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and Iraq.

The Arab League has tried, though with difficulty, to assert its role in seeking settlements to the crises.

On November 22-23, a two-day international conference on Iraq was held in Sharm El-Sheikh to discuss the future of the war-torn country.

Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Moussa called for a closer cooperation between the Arab League and the United Nations in promoting the political process in Iraq.

He stressed the importance of cooperation between the pan-Arab organization and the world body in helping push forward Iraq's political process.

At the end of the gathering, all participants, including the Arab League and Iraq's neighbors, G-8 and China, vowed to help facilitate the political process in Iraq.

Saber said, "The Arab League has done a lot of work to help restore the sovereignty, political independence, territorial integrity and national unity of Iraq, which was reaffirmed in the 14-point final communiqué of the conference."

"The gathering is considered positive as it stressed the leading role of the United Nations in Iraq's political process, which is just what the Arab League has repeatedly asked for," Saber added.

The Iraqi crisis, however, is far from over. Situation in the conflict-ridden country is yet to settle down as the US and Iraqi forces have been struggling to bring a bloody insurgency under control.

The general elections in Iraq are set for January 30, but many have cast doubt on the viability of date amid ongoing violence.

US President George W. Bush said recently that Washington plans to stick to the January 30 elections, but acknowledged, "As the election day approaches, we can expect further violence from the terrorists."

As insurgent attacks continue throughout the country, many are skeptical over the peace prospects of Iraq and uncertain on whether the elections could be held as planned.

"As the Iraq crisis sees no easy ending, the Arab League has to find a role to play in helping bring all political, religious and sectarian groups in Iraq together for national reconciliation and reconstruction," said Saber.

"If it sits idle while the situation in Iraq evolves, the organization is going to lose its position in the region, which could be really hard for those in favor of a strong Arab League as a sign of Arab unity," he said.

On the Palestinian-Israeli front, Saber saw a new opportunity for the Arab League to help reactivate the long-stalled Middle East peace process after veteran Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat died on November 11 at a French military hospital.

"Arafat was and is still taken as a hero by the Palestinian people, but we have to look to the future, " he said. "The Arab League can play a positive role in helping the Palestinians move forward, especially in peace talks with Israel."

Negotiations between the Palestinians and Israel broke down over four years ago after bitter recrimination. The Palestinians have since launched a new round of intifada, or uprising.

Four years of bloody conflicts have seen numerous Palestinian suicide bombings and Israeli military operations.

In the wake of Arafat's death, international efforts for restarting the tattered peace process have been intensifying.

After extensive consultations with the Palestinian and Israeli sides, Egypt has recently disclosed a framework for a comprehensive Middle East peace deal.

On December 7, Egypt's official MENA News Agency reported that Egypt, Israel, the Palestinians, the United States and the European Union had reached an initial understanding on a comprehensive settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict.

Senior Egyptian sources were quoted as saying that a framework for taking actions toward achieving an all-around peace in the region had already been set, which involved a number of issues still being debated, notably an agreement on a Palestinian-Israeli ceasefire.

"The Palestinian-Israeli conflict has long been a major thorn at the hearts of the Arab people and they have a hell lot of expectation on the Arab League for preserving the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people, including the establishment of an independent Palestinian state," Saber said.

"The Arab League now faces a mountain of tasks. It should help the Palestinians hold smooth elections scheduled for January 9, help the new leadership gain control and rein in militants, help them shore up position in talks with Israel..." he added.

Meanwhile, Kemal dismissed notions that the Arab League is incapable of doing its job on major regional issues.

"It is undeniable that the Arab League failed to reach some important resolutions on some issues in the past, but it is making strenuous efforts to make itself relevant both on the Arab and international levels," he said.

The official also said, "The Arab League is actively involved in regional and international issues to assert the rights and interest of the Arab world." 

(Xinhua News Agency December 21, 2004)