Al Hariri says Arabs must adopt democracy

"Transparency exists in the GCC," said former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Al Hariri.

"That's why GCC economic development increased dramatically in the last 20 years. This did not happen only because of oil. It is because the governments are based on Sharia and Islam, and these are compatible with democracy," he said.

"Business in the GCC [the 23-year-old, six-member Gulf Cooperation Council] is better than other Arab countries. Why? Because they apply democracy in their own ways, which are based on Islam and Sharia," he said.

In a keynote speech on the second day of the Arab Strategy Forum, Al Hariri dismissed the idea that Arabs should try to copy European-style democracy.

He also said those who believe democracy and Islam do not go together are wrong and then he pointed to the GCC.

He also said Arab countries can overcome their weakness by embracing free political institutions and free markets.

Al Hariri rejected suggestions that Arab political and economic woes were the result of foreign influence.

He said many governments in the Arab world have been too complacent and failed to follow up on promised reforms.

"We are not blaming anybody. Rather, we are blaming ourselves," Al Hariri said.

Arab governments, he said, must move quickly to adopt democracy.

"Democracy is a must and not a choice.

"Some say that Islam and democracy do not go together. This is wrong, because Islam has its own conception of political openness and political transparency," Al Hariri said.

Speaking on the theme of the Arab World in 2020, Al Hariri also identified another "focal point" that will define the future of the Middle East the creation a viable Palestinian state.

"We hear every day that the United States and Europe are convinced of the need for a Palestinian state, but the Palestinians should have a country of their own today and not tomorrow," he said.

"It is wrong to say that such a state is a prize granted to Palestinians for good behaviour. A Palestinian state, with Jerusalem as its capital, is a right. Palestinians are a mature people just like any other people," he said.

He said that a quick look at the state of affairs of the Arab world today would cause despair. "But it is not as gloomy as it seems, and we can see the cup is half full."

"If we succeed in establishing peace, and bolster the pillars of democracy, then these accomplishments will be accompanied by real steps towards reforms and a comprehensive development process," he said.

"Democracy means transparency and accountability. Reforms have not been successful because there has not been a good political basis for them."

The international and economic environment of the 21st

century will pose unprecedented challenges to Arab countries. International cooperation is intensifying and economic success is increasingly dependent on knowledge acquisition and ICT, as discussed in chapter 5.

Meanwhile the successive rounds of trade liberalisation under the umbrella of the General Agreement on Tariffs end Trade (GATT) and WTO, burgeoning international investment flows, and rapid technological advances have together led to dramatic changes in global trade and capital flows.

In addition, as the role of multinational

corporations has grown, that of the state has declined.

The last decades of the 20th century also saw the rise of massive trading blocs such as the North American Free Trade Agreement (Nafta), the expanding European Union and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (Apec).

These developments are defining the factors on which the future of Arab countries will largely depend.

These factors include their ability to:

(a) Deal with structural problems and technological change

(b) Meet the challenges of globalisation (including its sometimes

negative effects) and economic openness

(c) Generate effective collective action to face new developments and the challenges they pose to governments, businesses, investors,

workers, political parties and institutions.

Source: Arab Human Development Report 2002, UNDPGulf News