21 March 2016By Abdulrahman Al-Rashed
As students from Washington, we visited Cairo in the early eighties as part of
our politics lessons. I do not know why our teacher chose to visit that
beautiful old building on Talaat Harb Street known as the Egyptian Diplomatic
Club. There we met a number of Egyptian Foreign Ministry employees, and
everything at the club suggested aristocracy and the days of the Pashas. Alan
Taylor, our teacher, commented that Egyptian diplomacy remained even after the
1952 revolution.
Those who held significant political positions abroad were from elite families
or had excelled in their studies. The club was a private one and was built by
a French architect. It symbolises high end diplomacy; from ambassadors to
chefs who are assigned to Egyptian embassies around the world. Ancient
Egyptian diplomacy, just like the Diplomatic club that is one hundred years
old, maintains its traditions and expertise.
Like high end diplomacy, Ahmed Aboul Gheit has a distinctive C.V. that
features Egyptian diplomatic missions ranging from New York to Moscow. He was
foreign minister and dealt with different issues in the region and its
networks with the world and big powers.
Although some complain about Egypt's monopoly over the Secretary General of
the Arab League post, no Arab country has been able to provide a common
platform for member agreement except for agreeing to the host country's
recommendations. There were no other candidates or countries that were
acceptable to all. Past events reveal that the real problem is not the
Secretary General himself or his post. However, it appears that the main
problem is the persistence of Arab conflict. The headquarters of the Arab
League, the post of Secretary General or the individual who holds this post is
not a problem. Evidence for this is the fact that the former presidents of
Iraq and Syria; Saddam Hussein and Hafez Al-Assad respectively, pressurised
Arabs to move the Arab League's headquarters from Egypt to Tunisia. Chedli
Klibi became the Secretary General yet the Arab League made no progress.
We do not expect miracles even though Aboul Gheit, who is the best suited
person to manage the League, has taken over this office. The new Secretary
General realises the importance of the League, the importance of what it
represents and that it can be a large, valuable and global institution if the
governments of member states overcame their differences and agreed to give the
League an opportunity to achieve cooperation.
The Arab League represents a huge area with resources that can make it a major
power. The region has the fourth biggest global population (300 million
people) and the second in the world in terms of area. The challenge is to
achieve joint Arab action; Arab governments have failed to take advantage of
the League's umbrella to benefit its citizens and their countries and have
reduced its role to a forum for disputes. I do not think that the new
Secretary General can change this reality to a great extent as long as member
governments fail to agree on proposals for common projects that lead to
development and therefore stability.
Dr Nabil El-Araby, the Secretary-General whose term has ended, held the
position during the height of chaos and revolutions. To his credit, he was
able to save the League from collapse, chaos and anarchy. The new Secretary
General, Aboul Gheit, will manage the League at a time that is no less
dangerous; there are growing threats from Iran, fighting raging in three Arab
countries ( Syria, Libya and Yemen) and political differences between member
states are at their worst.
Al Rashed is the general manager of Al -Arabiya television. He is also the
former editor-in-chief of Asharq Al- Awsat, and the leading Arabic weekly
magazine, Al Majalla. He is also a senior Columnist in the daily newspapers
of Al Madina and Al Bilad. He is a US post-graduate degree in mass
communications. He has been a guest on many TV current affairs programs. He
is currently based in Dubai.
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