Arabs benefit most from Francophone summit

At the recent Francophone Summit in Beirut held amidst a very delicate international situation, issues of peace in the Middle East, the UN resolution on Iraq, and terrorism were discussed. However, the approach adopted by the summit in respect of these issues is considered a departure from the U.S. approach to these problems.

The following is a look at what the Arab press had to say on the summit.

What distinguishes this summit from others held recently in the region is its clear stance on the issue of terrorism. Of course, it denounced terrorism and called for strong cooperation and coordination between all governments to eradicate this.

But at the same time it called for an anti-terrorism international convention that respects the UN charter on human and refugees' rights. This approach shares common ground with the Arab perspective on the issue of terrorism, as Arab countries believe that this issue must be dealt with by the UN.

This is because terrorism is an international phenomenon that neither stems from a particular religion nor is adopted by a particular group or fringe and, secondly, because the UN is the only international entity that has the political and legislative institutions to deal with such a phenomenon, says Akhbar Al Arab (UAE) in its editorial.

On the other hand, the summit expressed its opposition to any new war in the Middle East, or in other words a war against Iraq, until all diplomatic efforts to settle the problem peacefully are exhausted. The summit wants the U.S. to focus its efforts on settling the 50-year-long Arab-Israeli conflict.

The summit went so far as to support the peace initiative of Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, and called for implementation of the UN resolutions Nos. 242 and 238, states Akhbar Al Arab.

Furthermore, it has opened the doors for Arabs to coordinate politically and diplomatically with the 56 French-speaking countries regarding issues concerning Palestine and Iraq, concludes the editorial.

This summit is important because of its timing, a time when Lebanon is in dire need of France's support to counteract U.S. support to Israel. The French president phrased it perfectly when he declared that the relations between Lebanon and France are not based merely on common interests, language, or culture, but relations deeply engraved in the heart, states Asharq Al-Awsat (UK-based) in its editorial.

Now there are two entities in the political arena – the world of the Francophones and that of the Americans. In the Francophone world, there is a lot of room for cultural and religious dialogue, but in the American world cultural issues are abandoned in favour of strategies and war concepts.

In other words, there are cultural and religious clashes in the American world. For this reason, the two differ in their approach, principles and on regional and international issues.

While the American world believes that Israeli security is an integral part of its own and that Israel is the only country that can serve its interests in the Middle East, the Francophone world thinks about how to boost cultural ties with other countries, reinforce human rights and stop wars, concludes Asharq Al-Awsat.

The speech delivered by the French-speaking presidents at the summit, particularly the French President, Jacques Chirac, is a clear departure from the U.S. stance on Iraq and Palestinian issues.

The French president pledged to support any peaceful and permanent settlement of the Israel-Palestine conflict according to the UN "Land for Peace" principles. At the same time, he rejected the use of force against Iraq, states Al Khaleej (UAE) in its editorial.

These stances are completely contrary to the double standards adopted by the U.S., which favours unjustified use of force against Iraq despite international opinion. The U.S. supports Israel and sympathises with all its atrocities in the Occupied Territories, notes Al Khaleej.

Objective stance

The French stance seems more objective regarding the existence of Syrian forces in Lebanon, amidst the U.S. Congress's attempts to make the Syrian forces pull out of Lebanon. The French President clearly stated that once peace is restored in the Middle East the Syrian forces can pull out of Lebanon, adds the editorial.

Arabs must use these stances diplomatically to confront the hostile American-Israeli campaign against Iraq and Palestine - a campaign which, according to political observers, places all Arab countries, without differentiation, under the control of the U.S. and Israel, concludes Al Khaleej.

The Francophones have stressed a dialogue on culture versus the American notion of culture conflict. The Francophones consider a dialogue on culture a tool for peace, democracy, and restoration of human rights, apart from regarding peace as a top priority since it leads to democracy, says the editorial of Al Hayat (UK-based).

The whole world stands against terrorism. But the attempt by America to eradicate it by force seems a mere illusion, adds Al Hayat.

At a time when almost all countries are calling for a dialogue on culture, the U.S. has no tools for dialogue but that of its arsenal which it is ready to launch.

This arsenal is not meant to help establish peace or democracy but to destroy others, states Al Hayat.

Unquestioningly, France has succeeded in using the summit for its political interests in the Middle East as it wants to build political and diplomatic strongholds in the region to confront the U.S. policy on the Middle East. This is because the French stance on the Iraq issue has disappointed the UK and U.S., states Al Watan (Oman) in its editorial.

The Beirut Francophone Summit communique section on Iraq came as a surprise to political observers as this non-political organisation supported France's approach to the Iraqi crisis, one which opposed that of the U.S. The communique stressed that the International Law and the UN charter must play vital roles in settling the Iraqi question peacefully.

It also praised Iraq's acceptance of the unconditional return of the UN inspectors to resume their inspection, states Al Watan.

The Beirut declaration has deepened the diplomatic stand-off between France and the U.S, believes Al Watan.

The U.S. wants a resolution that allows the use of force against Iraq if it hinders the mission of the inspectors. France, on the other hand, opposes the use of force and prefers some sort of sanctions to be imposed on Iraq if it does not abide by the UN resolution, concludes the newspaper.