CIVIL SOCIETY AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS MEET AT FORUM FOR THE FUTURE SOM IN ABU DHABI

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 001222

SENSITIVE
SIPDIS

TUNIS FOR JOHANN SCHMONSEES
DEPT FOR NEA/PI, DRL/EX, AND NEA/EX

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: PHUM, PREL, PGOV, KMPI, XF, AE
SUBJ: CIVIL SOCIETY AND REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS MEET AT FORUM FOR THE
FUTURE SOM IN ABU DHABI

1. (SBU) Summary: The Fifth Forum for the Future's Senior
Officials' Meeting, on October 18 in Abu Dhabi, provided a venue for
civil society and government representatives to present their views
on a number of reform issues and discuss regional efforts to advance
democratic development. Tension flared between the two sides on
several occasions, in particular following accusations leveled at
the Sudanese and Mauritanian governments and alleged interference by
the Syrian government in civil society participation. Nevertheless,
the meeting moved the two sides measurably closer to the adoption of
a Partnership Document which would commit governments and civil
society organizations to work together in a more constructive
fashion toward democratic reform goals. End summary.

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Opening Statements --
Giving CSOs and Reform their Due
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2. (SBU) The Chair, Director of Diplomatic Training at the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) Foreign Ministry Dr. Youssef al-Hassan, opened
the Third Senior Officials Preparatory Meeting of the Forum for the
Future after a half-hour delay he attributed to technical
difficulties (which may have been partly due to a haphazard badging
process). In his acknowledgments he referred to civil society
representatives present as the "private sector" but quickly
corrected the term, recognizing that the Forum's preparation had
involved important input from civil society organizations (CSOs).
He set the tone for the day's meeting by citing the need for
partnership between governments and CSOs. Governments face many
difficult challenges due to instability in the security and economic
realms (in the first of many allusions during the Meeting to the
global financial crisis); the UAE, he mentioned, is looking to the
Forum to find solutions, and hopes that its outcome will provide the
basis for increased cooperation and partnership.

3. (SBU) The Japanese Co-Chair (as G8 President),Takehiro Kagawa,
Deputy Director-General for the Middle East at the Japanese Foreign
Ministry, used his opening remarks to express Japan's commitment to
the Forum process. Kagawa apologized for Foreign Minister
Nakasone's need to return to Japan the same evening, making it
impossible for him to participate in the following day's
Ministerial. (Note: Nakasone returned to Tokyo to participate in
Diet deliberations regarding Japan's refueling mission in the Indian
Ocean in support of US and NATO operations in Afghanistan. End
note.) While the FM would attend the Ministerial Dinner, Japan
would be represented at the Ministerial Meeting by the Senior
Vice-Minister of Foreign Affairs Seiko Hashimoto.

4. (SBU) After asking the media to depart the room, the UAE Chair
called for the adoption of the agenda, in the absence of any
objections. The Oman delegation head intervened to request a change
in the translation of "reform" from the Arabic word "islah" to an
Arabic word closer to "development." The UAE Chair noted that
"islah" is a correct and standard translation that appears
throughout the Forum documents, and declared the agenda adopted.

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Political Reform and Women's Empowerment --
Civil Society Presentation Summaries
--------------

5. (SBU) The next agenda item was the presentation by civil society
representatives of the findings of their preparatory working groups.
Presenters of the "Political Reform" rubric were unanimous in their
disappointment at the lack of progress since the Forum's 2005
inception. The UAE's Dr. Ebtisam al-Kitbi, a UAE University
professor, noted that reform was hampered by inequality, lack of
individual freedom, corruption, and suppression of free expression
in the form of Internet and satellite television censorship.
Al-Kitbi also condemned the role of militaries and other armed
groups in squelching dissent and free expression, citing the recent
coup in Mauritania and the exposure of journalists to violence in
"combat zones." (Al-Kitbi's intervention prompted a later rejoinder
from the Mauritanian delegate to the effect that the coup in his
country was a "correction" integral to his country's process of
democratization.) Egypt's Dr. Saad Eddin Ibrahim called attention
to his former imprisonment and current self-imposed exile, and noted
that the Forum's inception in 2005 provided a "spark of hope." That
spark is gone now, he said, owing to a lack of commitment on the
part of "the G-8 countries" (in an apparent reference to Co-Chair
Japan) to continue the process, thereby ceding the field to
authoritarian regimes. Dr. Abdul Husain Shaaban called for a change
in the culture surrounding reform, calling reform "not a luxury but
a universal need" and insisting that partnership with civil society
is "not a gift but a duty" on the part of governments. Dr. Shaaban
cited a list of changes in the legislative environment that would
need to take place before such a partnership could be realized,
including measures relating to the registration of CSOs, their

financing, their ability to network both locally and
internationally, and adoption of international norms against the
suppression of CSOs and detention of their members.

6. (U) The presenters of "Women's Empowerment" made a number of
recommendations, including the establishment of a regional "Gender
Institute." According to the first presenter, Nadia Ait-Zai of the
University of Algiers, the Institute would research and encourage
gender equality and social justice, facilitate exchanges in
expertise, and strengthen the relationships among CSOs working in
the field. Lebanon's Houda al-Khatib reported that the Women's
Empowerment Seminar recommended the adoption of quota systems to
insure the participation of women in at least 30% of political
positions; laws to end discrimination against women; adoption of
school curricula designed to end stereotyping; protection against
violence; the right of women to participate in all areas of economic
activity; and programs to promote women in leadership positions.

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Political Reform and Women's Empowerment --
Government Reaction and Discussion
--------------

7. (U) Next came the government delegations' opportunity to respond
to CSO representatives. The delegation of the next G-8 Chair,
Italy, reaffirmed the GOI's commitment to facilitating constructive
dialogue between governments and CSOs "with respect for
sovereignty." Italy called attention to the Democracy Assistance
Dialogue (DAD) of which it is (with Turkey and Yemen) a sponsor,
expressing hope that the DAD's Partnership Document will be adopted
during the following day's Ministerial Meeting. The USG delegation
head DRL A/S Kramer noted that while it is encouraging to see many
CSOs enjoying a seat at the table at the Forum, it is important that
CSOs obtain a similar "seat at the table" in their own societies.
Kramer saluted the work of the Parallel Civil Society Forum that had
just concluded in Dubai. The Pakistani and Lebanese delegates were
eager to highlight their governments' commitment to gender equality,
citing the number of women in leadership roles in Pakistan and
recent legislative and political achievements in a Lebanon finally
free "to live in peace in the region."

8. (SBU) The CSO presentations had many government delegations on
the defensive, however. While welcoming CSO participation in the
Forum, stating that governments and civil society are "not enemies,"
and notably refusing to react to Saad Eddin Ibrahim's accusation of
wrongful imprisonment in Egypt, the Egyptian delegate described
reform as "a complicated process, full of errors and mistakes." He
expressed hope for CSOs' "mature participation" in the Forum and
that the Forum would not be used solely for criticism. He handed
the microphone to a female Egyptian delegation member, who endorsed
the CSO suggestion to establish a Gender Institute. The Syrian
delegate voiced his support for cooperation between governments and
CSOs, but noted that the SARG goal is to "advance our own
communities." He defended Damascus' record on women's empowerment,
averring that Syrian women participate in all spheres of life. The
Yemeni delegate stressed that his country is considered an "emerging
democracy" and that many important reforms are underway, but that
they need time and "external support."

9. (SBU) In a series of interventions, civil society representatives
and the UAE delegation called for increased participation by Saudi
women in upcoming Forum meetings and other settings. Bahraini
activist Abdul Nebi al-Akri pointed out that all participating
governments had accepted the notion of reform, but that a peaceful
process of reform had proved elusive. Lest civil society
representatives and governments be fated to merely "jump from one
conference to another," there is need for a coordinating authority
for civil society that will work on a continuing basis. The
Bahraini delegate welcomed these comments and noted that some
countries have moved faster down the path of reform than others, and
that participants must be frank and "acknowledge their mistakes."
The delegate also took a swipe at "superpower, super-rich countries
[that] have not played their part" (again, a probable reference to
Japan). He thanked the USG and UK for establishing and providing
funding for a Center for Entrepreneurship in Bahrain, but
acknowledged that the project had fallen through due to a lack of
commitment from other G-8 countries.

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Sustainable Development
--------------

10. (U) First among civil society presenters on the Sustainable
Development topic was Tunisian Mohsen Marzouk of the Arab Democracy
Foundation, based in Qatar. Marzouk said CSO reps had examined the
issue of school curricula and recommended the inclusion of material
relating to human rights, as well as a Summit on Education to take
place in the second half of the current academic year. Presenter

Sheikha al-Shamsi seconded these curriculum proposals and suggested
also that governments should introduce more programs to prepare
young people for the job market. She proposed a fund for technology
and scientific development and an entrepreneurship center to be
located in the UAE, and called on Co-Chairs UAE and Japan to support
one or both initiatives. A representative of Masdar energy outlined
his company's plans to develop renewable energy projects in the
UAE.

11. (U) Fatima al-Abdali, a Kuwaiti activist, stressed the role of
the private sector in Sustainable Development, and reported that
Parallel Forum participants found that private sector organizations
suffer the same kinds of challenges as CSOs. Those institutions
nevertheless have a vital role in formulating policy and
legislation. The private sector should give something back to the
community, but governments must also support entrepreneurship and
training, enact United Nations-endorsed anti-corruption measures,
and cooperate with think tanks and the private sector on research
and development. Abdul Wahab al-Kibsi, of the Center for
International Private Enterprise in the United States, expressed his
hope that the financial crisis would not sideline reform efforts,
and noted that it is not economic liberalization that is to blame
for the crisis, but rather bad corporate governance and a lack of
disclosure, transparency, and accountability.

12. (U) The Egyptian and Pakistani delegates highlighted their
countries' commitment to vocational training. The UK representative
alerted participants to the danger that governments may conclude
from the financial crisis that implementation of reforms in areas
like education and renewable energy should be delayed. The fact
that so many governments and civil society representatives are
gathered together in one place sends a powerful message, however.
The French delegate seconded these sentiments and stressed the
importance of vocational training.

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Progress and Review -- Towards a Partnership
Document and the Future of the Forum
--------------

13. (U) Following a break, discussion turned to some of the concrete
outcomes that the Forum would seek in this session. Organizers of
the Foundation for the Future presented a progress report on the
establishment of the Foundation's office in Amman and the funding of
several programs, and welcomed the participation of civil society.
Iraqi Kurd activist and former Human Rights Minister Bakhtiar
al-Amin noted the region's cultural and ethnic diversity and called
for the establishment of a regional "Diversity Center" to study,
promote and protect that diversity.

14. (U) Two presenters from the Democracy Assistance Dialogue were
given the floor. Ezzadin al-Asbahi of the Human Rights Information
and Training Center (HRITC) of Yemen called for revision and
evaluation of the Forum, including the setting of goals that could
be evaluated after one year. He called on the Forum to produce a
"single big project," with possible reference to the Partnership
Document. The Partnership Document project was expounded by Niccolo
Figa-Tallamanca of Italian NGO and DAD partner No Peace Without
Justice as a commitment by governments and CSOs to work together.
His comments gained the endorsement of the Italian, Bahraini,
Moroccan, Turkish and USG delegations, all of which expressed their
hope that a Document would be concluded and adopted at the present
Forum. The USG delegate stressed the continuing USG commitment to
the Forum and assessed that the clear willingness around the table
to examine work with the Document draft shows that the meeting is on
the road to adoption of the Partnership Document.

15. (SBU) Significantly, the Egyptian delegate also expressed
support for the adoption of the Partnership Document, although he
stressed that it must "enjoy the support of all parties and not just
a couple of delegations" and must remain in conformity with "our
national laws." (Note: Those laws restrict, among other things,
outside funding for Egyptian CSOs. End note.) The UAE delegate
seconded the Egyptian position with slightly warmer support for the
Document. Following the ejection by the UAE Chair of four Syrians
who had allegedly seated themselves in the civil society area under
false pretenses, the Syrian delegate did not return from the break.
Neither he nor the Tunisian delegate was present during the second
half of the Senior Officials Meeting.

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Last Fireworks
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16. (SBU) A few general interventions of note were launched before
the end of the meeting. Women's Empowerment rapporteur Amal
al-Basha, a Yemeni activist, decried the fact that several of the
original Forum agenda items had disappeared in successive Forum

sessions, as well as the lack of progress in legislative reform
since the start of the Forum process. She pointed out that Arab
governments are quick to rally around certain issues (such as
condemning the effort to prosecute Sudanese President Bashir and
indict the Sudanese legal system for its failure to act in response
to abuses in Darfur) whereas they had made no progress fulfilling
their reform commitments. Her example drew a passionate defense

from the Sudanese delegate, averring that the Sudanese legal system
is a model for the region, that international observers have been
invited to witness its functioning in the Darfur cases, that a
special prosecutor has been appointed, and that accusations against
the President ignore "facts on the ground."

17. (SBU) The Palestinian delegate called for a "new relationship
between developed countries and the developing world." He advocated
the discussion of the topics of terrorism and extremism in the
Forum, and for the adoption by the Forum of a call on Israel to
remove settlements. A Syrian activist based in Lebanon, Nour
Rostom, shared her observations as a newcomer to the Forum that
cooperation among delegations and civil society representatives has
been exemplary during the Forum but poor thereafter, resulting in a
lack of progress for four years. There is a demonstrable need to
work on implementation and enforcement rather than just aspiring to
reform; reform will follow such practical steps. Finally, there are
many issues that the Forum has had to elide due to a lack of time,
including the effects of violent conflict. Rostom suggested
extending the Forum schedule to several days.

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Wrap-up
--------------

18. (U) The Japanese Co-Chair concluded that the presence of so
many participants from governments and civil society sitting
together at the Forum, in and of itself, carries "deep meaning." He
added that while the discussions are helpful, the Forum is not about
"dialogue for dialogue." Rather, there is an action-oriented agenda
for all participants. The financial crisis will affect societies in
the region, and government and CSOs must cooperate to get through
it. Finally, he expressed his satisfaction that the meeting had
brought the Partnership Document so close to conclusion. The UAE
Chair expressed his sense that the hard work of the Senior Officials
Meeting would pave the way for success in the Ministerial, and
brought the meeting to a close.

OLSON