May 11, 2003	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 8, 1424

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WASHINGTON, May 10: The United States on Saturday announced a comprehensive plan of action for the Middle East which aims at bringing about major social, economic and political changes in the region.

A major part of the plan details the proposed free trade area that President George Bush intends to establish in the Middle East. It proposes to build on the free trade agreements that the US already has with Israel and Jordan and proposes making Arab nations full members of the WTO.

As part of the programme, the United States will negotiate bilateral investment treaties and agreements with individual Arab nations and provide assistance to increase their trade capacity.

The United States will also help establish a Middle East finance facility for small and medium-sized businesses and for creating new jobs. It will also help Arab nations reform their commercial codes with the aim to promote transparency and fight corruption.

The proposed reforms in the education centre aim at enhancing education facilities for women and reducing the state’s influence on education policies by encouraging direct participation of parents and teachers.

Under the new plan, the United States is also proposing judicial reforms, leadership and media training and training facilities for lawmakers.

The following are the highlights of the US plan of action:

• Establish a US-Middle East free trade area within a decade — building on the America’s free trade agreements with Israel and Jordan:

• Help reforming countries become members of the World Trade Organization;

• Negotiate bilateral investment treaties and trade and investment framework agreements with governments determined to improve their trade and investment regimes;

• Complete negotiations on a free trade agreement with Morocco by the end of this year;

• Launch, in consultation with US Congress, new bilateral free trade agreements with governments committed to high standards and comprehensive trade liberalization; and

• Provide assistance to build trade capacity and expansion so countries can benefit from integration into the global trading system.

• Work with US partners in the region to:

a) Establish a Middle East finance facility to help small and medium-sized businesses gain access to capital and generate jobs;

b) Reform commercial codes, improve the climate for trade and investment, and strengthen property rights through a new initiative for commercial law in cooperation with US and Middle Eastern law schools and jurists, and business-to-business contacts; and

c) Promote transparency in public finances, help countries fight corruption, and support financial sector reforms.

Promoting Education and Knowledge

• Grow US partnership with Morocco and Yemen to expand their girls’ literacy programmes to other interested countries.

• Partnership with countries to help empower parents and local communities to give them a greater voice in how their children are educated. Expand a successful programme in Alexandria, Egypt, to other Egyptian cities and other interested countries in the region.

• Partnership with countries to provide incentives, such as vouchers, to families that send their girls to school, building on successful programmes in Morocco and Egypt.

Promoting Freedom and Justice

• Establish a regional forum on judicial reform. Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor has agreed to head a team of American jurists to Bahrain to help launch this effort this fall.

• Establish regional campaign schools to provide training in leadership and organizational skills for women seeking elective office across the region. The first of these will be held this fall in Qatar.

• Begin media training and media law projects that include participants initially from Algeria, Bahrain, Egypt, Lebanon, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Tunisia.

• Provide training to new parliamentarians and support for civil society organizations through groups like the National Democratic Institute and International Republican Institute in partnership with organizations in the region.