What the hell were they thinking? Hosting a forum for the Future in an Arab country was going to get them some results, a-la Americano style? No friggin’ way man!
So they declared it a failure:
Mideast reform meeting ends in confusion
MANAMA (Reuters) – A Middle East reform conference promoted by the United States ended in confusion on Saturday without a final declaration after Egypt tried to introduce language which Washington said would restrict aid groups.
In a result U.S. officials called disappointing, the conference ended with no final document on promoting political and economic reform in the Middle East and North Africa, the goal of the meeting.
“Obviously we are not pleased,” said a senior State Department official at the conclusion of the “Forum for the Future” meeting.
Egypt gets about $2 billion (1.15 billion pounds) in aid each year from the United States and while their move to block a document would not affect this aid, U.S. officials said their action was “very curious”.
Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) were also angry.
“The Egyptians are always the problem with democracy … they are the ones who spoiled the final democracy document by holding out,” said Saadeddin Ibrahim, an Egyptian rights campaigner.
The Egyptian delegation was not immediately available to comment but a Gulf diplomat said other Arab countries also had reservations about the document and Egypt was not alone.
According to a draft copy of the final declaration, delegates would have pledged “to expand democratic practices, to enlarge participation in political and public life (and) to foster the roles of civil society including NGOs”.
Egypt wanted to add that only NGOs “legally registered” by a country and which followed that nation’s laws should be helped.
“It would have made them susceptible to government influence and pressure,” said the U.S. official.
Reuters :: read article
And pray tell me, who gives a shit about Egypt? Is it that bastion of democracy? Nope. Is it leading the way to democracy then? Nope. Mubarak is just biding his effing time to install his son to take over when he finally snuffs it. Yeah, as if we didn’t cotton on!
Egypt might have been the guiding light and the gateway for the Arab world at some point in the recent past. Now, it’s just part of the same festering sewer more intent on keeping a guy in position for decades and making the country a pseudo-democracy and more obnoxiously an apologist state rather than a shining light leading the Arabs into a new era. So why give a shit what they think? Flush ’em and get over it!
Comments
Gotcha!
I have been aware of the $2,000,000,000 that the United States sends Egypt annually for several years. As an American taxpayer, I believe that this money should never have been sent and that this handout into the pig trough should stop immediately, if not last week sometime.
I can only conclude that the American politicans, whom I communicate with on a regular basis, have some evil intention in mind as they contiue to finance and support this disgusting regime.
Re: Gotcha!
Here’s my impression on US aid to Egypt and its context:
Egypt is the 2nd largest recipient of US Foreign Aid dollars after Isreal. Between them, Egypt and Israel account for 66% of these funds, not accounting for good will projects funded directly by the US military as part of the global war on terrorism (for example, public works projects in Afghanistan, Iraq, the Phillipines and the horn of Africa).
Much, though not all of this type of aid, from nearly all wealthy nations, is intended to advance the economic and military interests of those countries. I think the most generous interpretation is that results have been mixed. Most humanitarian aid given to countries in Africa over the past few decades for example, has disappeared without a trace.
There are a great many poor people in Egypt whose lives could be improved by the 2 billion that their government receives from US taxpayers, but I don’t have much information on how that money is spent or what oversight mechanisms are in place, if any. The fact that Egypt and Israel have ben at peace is perhaps one direct effect of this money.
Jard in NYC
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Well, even if this whole forum didn’t yield a result in the end, the U.S. has an even clearer idea about the cavities in the mideast area. Well if Egypt doesn’t like it, they can really screw off to one corner and do it their way. I feel sorry for Egyptians, they couldn’t have asked for a crappier president to be installed again and bein around for ages. Unfortunately, it will never progress and I can see Egypt bein in a seriously screwed up situation in the near future, way worse than what it is in at the moment. I don’t really understand why they still call it the “Center of the Arab World”. Get over it, it ain’t the center anymore, it’s probably one of it’s main corruption hubs but nothin much besides that (excludin all those movies which I think that most are pointless if not all now). We should just move on, there are other countries which want to be progressive and if Egypt and the other don’t want to follow the pack, then be it. And am really fed up when they compare the whole of the mideast and say that it’s laggin behind big time when you have some countries that although things aren’t that superb, are still exertin some effort to make things better. I mean ya we can bet part of the mideast but our vision is way beyond that of whatever this region has in mind.
Anyways, I should login rather than just write this way although it’s quicker hehe.
Khalid
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Egpyt, I belive, has the most to loose here. They are the Arab country most likely to be affected by reformers. The way I see it, if they dont play ball, all money from the US stops….
Gotcha!
the definition of the state used to be the one which has monopoly over the use of force. now it seems it is the one which has monopoly over 3amalah and use of foreign dole. as for the greatest of arab states, why is it that the crossing to a tampering-free elections is proving more herculian than the crossing of october 6?
mr
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What was Egypt’s last accomplishment? The pyramids. Several thousand years ago….
Enough said.
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Mahmood wondering: Do they think that hosting a forum for the Future in an Arab country was going to get them some results?
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Gotcha!
Why would it matter where the meeting was hosted?