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At the Munich Conference on Security Policy in February 2004, the
German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Joschka Fischer suggested to
combine the European and North American initiatives for modernization,
democracy and security in the Greater Middle East and to further develop
the dialogue with partners from the region. This challenge will be a focus
of several summits in spring this year. The Arab Human Development Report
jointly published by the United Nations Development Program UNDP and the
Arab Development Bank ADB has given a significant impetus to this process.
The current discussion in Europe and the US aims at a well coordinated
transatlantic initiative to overcome the division of the alliance caused
by the Iraq war. As a precondition for its success, the debate has to be
widened to a trialogue between governments, intellectuals and civil
society from the Middle East region. This initiative consists of a
triangle for economic modernization, social development and democratization
in this region. This cooperative reform process should be carried
endogenously and supported externally. Existing positive developments in
each society should be strengthened and co-operations with partners in the
region should be deepened and widened. Examples are the EU Barcelona
Process with South Mediterranean countries and the co-operation between
the EU and the Gulf Co-operation Council as well as the US-Jordanian Free
Trade Agreement.
One outcome of this process should also be an increasing internal and
external security for all partners, not only for countries in the region.
Neither should the Israeli-Arab conflict be excluded, nor should its
solution serve as a precondition for further progress.
The conference “Beyond Iraq – a Trialogue on Modernization,
Democracy and Security in the Greater Middle East”, organized by the
Heinrich Böll Foundation, is starting a long-term analysis of ongoing
developments in this region as well as of the EU and US Middle East
policy. It is based on many years of project experience of the Heinrich Böll
Foundation in the Middle East and North Africa. Instead of talking about
partners from this region, we want to talk them. The focal point is the
mutual exchange of problem analyses, appropriate solutions and political
strategies. Future events will also take place in Arab countries, in
Israel, in the EU and the US.
Information:
Sascha Müller-Kraenner
sascha@boell.de
Sebastian Gräfe
graefe@boell.de
+49-30-28534-381
Registration:
beyond_iraq@boell.de
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