CAIRO, Feb 10: The United States has kept most Arab governments in the dark about its plans for the Middle East, now taking shape under the title of the Greater Middle East Initiative, Arab diplomats and officials said on Tuesday.
The way Washington has handled the initiative so far has added to Arab feeling that the Bush administration is planning a future for the region behind their backs, they said.
US officials say they want European support for the initiative in readiness to announce it in June when the Group of Eight leaders hold their annual summit, hosted this year by US President George W. Bush at Sea Island, Georgia. The Group of Eight does not include any Arab countries.
Arab governments have read about the proposals from the media or through public statements by US officials, though US Secretary of State Colin Powell did discuss them on Monday with Crown Prince Sheikh Salman bin Hamad of Bahrain.
"The Arab leaders feel their future is on the table at a time when they themselves are not sitting around that table. They find that rather disturbing," said one Arab diplomat, who asked not to be named.
"Whenever a group of countries is being talked about or having their future planned for them, without them being consulted, that's not something that people would accept whole-heartedly. In fact, quite the contrary," said another Arab official, who also asked not to be named.
The Middle East initiative is an extension of the Bush administration's campaign for democracy in the Middle East, seen by many in the region as an insincere distraction from the Arab priorities - an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and to the US-led occupation of Iraq.
The latest version of the initiative includes offering possible trade deals, political engagement and military support for countries that reform, US officials said on Monday.
'ARABS NOT PART OF IT': Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri said on Tuesday that the gravest part of the US initiative was that the Arabs were not part of it so far. "The Arab nation and its leaders must know what's being planned... so they can take the appropriate position," he told reporters in Cairo.
Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal told a news conference that it would be hard to apply one set of standards in a region with many diverse countries.
"We do not have a clear picture of the project... of the political, security and economic aspect of it. I would have to hear the details first," the minister added.
A senior Arab official said the trouble with US policies is they ignore what he called "regional factors". "Their compass is set on US and Israeli interests," he said.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said this week that Egypt had not received an official notification of the US initiative. "I'm sure they will have to consult with us at some stage," said an Egyptian official.
The Arab League, the main regional organisation, has repeatedly said it wants dialogue with the United States and Europe and was willing to consider any of their proposals. -Reuters