Silence speaks louder than words at Arab summit
ALGIERS, Algeria (AP) – Changes are sweeping the Middle East – but you would hardly have guessed it from the annual summit of Arab leaders that closed Wednesday.
Their silence and rehashed statements on some of the region’s burning issues spoke volumes: No new initiative for peace with Israel; no real signs that they want to be engines for democratic reform.
Instead of joining the international push to get Syria out of Lebanon, the summit closed with a statement backing Damascus against U.S. sanctions. And the best Arab leaders could do on peace with Israel was to reheat a proposal that already got nowhere the first time they issued it in 2002.
Analysts said Arab leaders fear that if they shine the spotlight on issues of democracy, the insurgency in Iraq, the turmoil in Lebanon and other issues, their own problems may be exposed next.
