Identifier
Created
Classification
Origin
07CAIRO1339
2007-05-07 15:48:00
UNCLASSIFIED//FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
Embassy Cairo
Cable title:  

EGYPTIAN CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE FORUM FOR THE FUTURE

Tags:  PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM KMPI EG 
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P 071548Z MAY 07
FM AMEMBASSY CAIRO
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UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 001339 

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

TUNIS FOR MEPI
NSC STAFF FOR WATERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM KMPI EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE FORUM FOR THE FUTURE

REF: STATE 49586

Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 CAIRO 001339

SIPDIS

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

TUNIS FOR MEPI
NSC STAFF FOR WATERS

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PGOV PHUM PREL KDEM KMPI EG
SUBJECT: EGYPTIAN CIVIL SOCIETY AND THE FORUM FOR THE FUTURE

REF: STATE 49586

Sensitive but unclassified. Please protect accordingly.


1. (U) This is a joint cable from Embassy Cairo and the
MEPI Regional Office in Tunis.

--------------
SUMMARY
--------------


2. (SBU) MEPI RO Tunis and Embassy Cairo Political Section
staff canvassed MEPI and BMENA partners and other leading
reformers in Egypt to seek their views on the Forum for the
Future (FFF) process, per reftel request, in an effort to
gauge the impact the FFF is having in advancing reform
objectives in the Arab world. According to these civil
society (CS) representatives, the FFF has made some positive
impact during its first three years of existence, but has had
difficulty supporting broad political reform, impeded in
large part by the behaviors of several Arab governments. CS
contacts in Cairo said that these governments have not taken
actions consistent with their declarations to engage in
democratic reform. At the same time, efforts by the G8
countries to promote political reform actually saw a
backsliding at the last Forum held in December 2006. The CS
representatives agreed that while the desire and rationale of
the USG to promote democratic reform as a top BMENA policy
goal has been strengthened rather than weakened by the FFF
process, the results so far have not matched the initial good
intentions. End summary.


3. (SBU) In late April 2007, Embassy Cairo POL staff, joined
by visiting MEPI Tunis RO senior LES, met more than a dozen
experts from Egyptian civil society to discuss the
accomplishments and efficacy of the FFF process. The
Egyptian contacts included: Saad Eddin Ibrahim (Ibn Khaldun
Center); Hafez Abou Seada (Egyptian Organization for Human
Rights); Gamal Abdel Gawad, Ayman Abdel Wahab, and Khalil
Anany (all of Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies); Bahey
Eddin Hassen and Moatez Al Fogary (Cairo Institute for Human
Rights Studies); Amany Kandil (Arab Network for NGOs); Nasser
Amin (Arab Center for the Independence of the Judiciary and
the Legal Profession); Azza Soliman (Center of Women,s Legal
Assistance); Ahmed Samieh (Andalus Institute for Tolerance);

Ihab Salam (United Group); Said Abdel Hafez (Moltaka
Organization); Salah Soliman (Al Naqeeb Center); and Gamal
Barakat (Arab Center for Democracy and Human Rights). A
summary of their views and recommendations follow.

--------------
REVITALIZE RATHER THAN RELINQUISH THE FORUM
--------------


4. (SBU) Most of the CS experts consulted recognized the
positive impact of the Forum in fostering democratic reform,
in varying degrees, across the region. One noted that the
process has contributed to promoting dialogue between civil
society and governments, while another said that the FFF has
created a new regional dynamic which positively influences
the local political environment. Others observed that there
is a growing significance internationally to democracy
promotion in MENA countries. As one CS expert said: "Given
that the reform initiative was created in response to calls
for political, economic, and social reform emanating from the
MENA region, civil society groups would like to save and
strengthen the Forum as its centerpiece."


5. (SBU) That said, some CS representatives noted that there
is no sense of continutity or follow-up from one Forum to the
next. They lamented a lack of implementation of the
recommendations adopted in previous years. All of the
activists voiced concern that recommendations from the third
Forum appear remarkably similar to those from the first two,
instead of building on work already accomplished and
resulting in additional concrete actions. This lack of
continuity and follow-through has enabled governments to

CAIRO 00001339 002 OF 003


"pretend" to support reform, with public displays of
rhetoric, rather than building platforms to establish
tangible results. To date, there has been little serious
follow-up, according to the Egyptian CS activists, on the
recommendations put forth during the CS parallel meetings.


6. (SBU) Notwithstanding these shortcomings, Egyptian
activists agreed that the FFF has put pressure on
authoritarian Arab regimes to discuss reform. They urged the
USG and other G8 countries to build on these gains and to
continue engaging with Arab leaders, rather than
relinquishing the process. They added that building on
achievements already made will provide hope to CS
organizations, most of which still believe that the FFF
process presents the only regional framework where these
groups can discuss reform issues in the presence of their
governments and at the ministerial level.

--------------
USG COMMITMENT AND CREDIBILITY QUESTIONED
--------------


7. (SBU) While those consulted agreed that the Forum's
distinctive relationship with civil society is the main
reason many NGOs in the Arab world have welcomed it--and
taken the initiative to stage parallel CS meetings--they also
feared that the way the USG is currently handling the FFF
sends the wrong message to the region. The USG, they said,
is no longer giving high-level attention to the FFF,
particularly compared to the priority we placed on the
process during the first two forums held in Rabat and Manama.



8. (SBU) CS activists underlined the importance of
enhancing the momentum gained on the reform agenda through
the FFF, yet wondered if the USG and others were willing to
work with civil society to implement previous
recommendations. They also questioned whether the G8
countries still see real value in continuing this process.
Some contacts expressed dismay at the lack of follow-up to
the first two Forums ) on the part of both governments and
civil society. As one activist said, "The recommendations we
have so far need to be turned into practical project plans,
time-bound and tailored according to specific country needs."


9. (SBU) Among CS representatives in Cairo, attitudes
toward the USG in general have worsened over the past year,
with U.S. foreign policy and actions taken toward Iraq, Iran,
Lebanon, and the Palestinians as the chief reasons for this
decline in esteem. They see the war in Iraq and the
continuing Arab-Israeli conflict as having significant
negative impact on the credibility of USG. CS experts said
that the failure to resolve the Arab-Israeli conflict
prevents the United States from gaining credibility as an
advocate of democracy in the Middle East. Even liberal
Arabs, they said, perceive claims by the United States that
it wants democracy in the Middle East as hypocritical,
pointing to what they see as American indifference to the
rights of the Palestinians and unconditional support for
Israel. Until this credibility is restored, they added,
Washington's effort to stimulate democratization and
political reform in the region will be severely constrained.

--------------
CS RECOMMENDATIONS
--------------


10. (SBU) The CS representatives cited a lack of
information among Arab CS groups on the substance and
planning for upcoming FFF events, stating that none of
them--or other activists they had spoken with-- have so far
received materials about the process from official sources.
They lament that they depend on unofficial, informal
networking with other contacts or published reports in the
Arab media--both unreliable sources at best--to learn about
new FFF developments. They urged the USG and other G8
countries to consider establishing a permanent secretariat to

CAIRO 00001339 003 OF 003


provide information, including backgroud papers and other
reports, through a central wesite, database, or regular
newsletter.


11. (BU) They also asserted the importance of establising
mechanisms to ensure sufficient preparation or both the FFF
ministerial and the parallel CS eent. All the Cairo
activists support holding a onsultative meeting with local
CS organizations n order to share their opinions on all
issues reated to the process, such as the agenda for the
ext meetings, topics of discussion, representatives and
follow-on procedures. In addition, most acivists argued
that there is an urgent need to adress the organization of
the CS parallel event, n tandem with the FFF.


12. (SBU) Although Egytian CS leaders said that civil
society groups acoss the region welcomed the establishment
of theFoundation for the Future (i.e., the grant-making
organization affiliated with the Forum),they als expressed
confusion over whether and when it wold become fully
operational. Some of the CS reprsentatives said that much
of the euphoria at thelaunching of the Foundation in Manama
more than year ago, with its promise of technical and
finncial support, had faded--particularly in the faceof its
slow formation, recent resignations of boad members, and the
prospect of a "competing" foudation funded by the Government
of Qatar. To reain lost footing, they urged that the USG
shouldsupport the Foundation to become visibly active as
soon as possible.


13. (SBU) Finally, Egyptia activists acknowledged that it
may prove impossible to reach consensus on who should be
considered the "legitimate" representatives of civil society
in the Arab world. Most agreed, however, on the necessity of
inviting leaders from a range of CS organizations, based on
such conditions as strong CVs, documented achievements,
well-respected reputations, and/or published papers on
relevant topics. As one Cairo contact said, "Credible NGOs,
national platforms or federations, and regional networks
should be properly involved." Another noted that "while
Islamist organizations might only participate in CS events to
undermine the effort and put an end to international support
to reform in the region, many Arab democracy activists
believe that we should allow the Islamists' participation
also."

--------------
COMMENT
--------------


14. (SBU) Speaking with these leading Egyptian civil
society representatives, it became clear that the "democracy
deficit" in Arab countries remains a major concern for them
and, despite the many weaknesses thus far of the Forum for
the Future, there continues to be a hunger to revitalize this
process by reconsidering strategic visions and adjusting
current policy agendas. The Cairo activists stressed almost
unanimously that the time has come to bring together
different actors from across the region to evaluate and
redefine the FFF, reconstituting it is as a key tool for
promoting reform across the region.
RICCIARDONE