The year of 2003 witnessed continuous efforts by the Arabs, together with the international community, to achieve peace and stability in the Middle East region, which has long been a hot spot of conflicts in the international arena. 

However, Arab officials and analysts see no rosy prospects in sight as the region is plagued by the endless cycle of Palestinian-Israeli bloodshed, uncertain developments in post-war Iraq and deadly terror attacks in some Arab countries.

Arabs pin hope on roadmap peace plan

A hope for ending nearly three years of violence between the Palestinians and Israelis had loomed in the wake of an Arab-US summit in Egypt and an ensuing US-Palestinian-Israeli summit in Jordan in early June.

The twin summits, boosted by the approval of the Israeli cabinet of the US-backed roadmap peace plan in May, were aimed at pushing for implementing the roadmap and reactivating the stalled peace process, with the help of the United States.

The internationally-drafted roadmap calls for reciprocal steps from both the Palestinians and Israel to end their protracted conflict and envisions a full Palestinian statehood living side by side with Israel in peace by 2005.

Upbeat about a positive US attitude, in sharp contrast to its previous hands-off policy, the Arab leaders attending the US-Arab summit encouraged the Palestinians to take positive steps to resume the derailed Palestinian-Israeli peace track.

"We support the determination of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to fulfill its commitments and to put an end to violence," Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on behalf of the Arab leaders who gathered at the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh.

During the three-way summit in the Jordanian Red Sea resort of Aqaba on the following day, then Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, favored by the United States, pledged to rein in militant groups to help implement the roadmap.

In late June, under the mediation of Egypt, major Palestinian militant groups, including the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and Islamic Jihad (Holy War), announced a truce agreement to suspend attacks against Israelis for three months.

But the unilateral ceasefire collapsed after Israel killed a senior Hamas official, Abu Shanab, in a missile attack in late August.

Abbas, famed for being one of architects of the Oslo Accords which set in motion the Palestinian-Israeli peace process in 1993, resigned in early September after he failed to yield tangible results in peace-making.

Despite repeated failures in making peace, Egypt, a key Arab peace broker between the Palestinians and Israel, has been sparing no efforts in mediating a new Palestinian truce deal with Israel.

However, Palestine's permanent representative to the Arab League Mohamed Sobeih told Xinhua "This time, we need guarantees from the international community, especially from the United States."

Arab countries have long lambasted a biased US stance in favor of Israel, warning that without real pressure put on the Jewish state, no progress would be achieved.

"Any progress to be made hinges on how much pressure the United States would exert on Israel," Said Kamal, deputy secretary-general of the Arab League, told Xinhua.

Arabs try to mitigate aftermath of Iraq war

Despite international oppositions against military actions against Saddam Hussein' regime, the United States and Britain launched a war on Iraq in March, resulting in the ousting Saddam from power in April and his capture on Dec. 13.

Fearing that the US-led war on Iraq would cause devastating effects on governments of the Middle East countries, Arabs had gone all out to prevent the US military showdown with Iraq before the war.

At an emergency summit convened in early March to make a last-ditch effort to defuse the Iraqi-US tensions, Arab leaders reiterated their opposition against any military operation against Iraq.

"Arab states will not take part in any military action which undermines the territorial integrity and security of Iraq and other Arab countries," said a final statement issued at the end of the one-day gathering.

Shortly after the outbreak of the Iraq war, Arab countries joined an international chorus to call on the United States to end the war and withdraw its troops from the oil-rich Arab country.

With the forming of a US-handpicked Iraqi Interim Governing Council (IGC) in July and US vowing to keep its forces in the war-torn country until stability is achieved, Arab countries have gradually changed their positions to face the reality in Iraq and help their Iraqi brothers get out of the post-war mire.

In early August, 13 Arab foreign ministers or their representatives gathered in the Egyptian capital of Cairo to form a unified stance on the Iraqi issue.

At the meeting, the ministers called for an end to the occupation of Iraq, the forming of a legitimate government and extending help to the Iraqis in all fields.

"The ministers agreed that the IGC should pave the way for setting up a legitimate government that could be recognized," Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Muhammad Bin Mubarak Bin Hamad Al-Khalifa said.

In early September, Arab countries decided to allow the IGC to represent Iraq at the Arab League till an elected legitimate government is formed, a move that was seen as the league's official recognition of the IGC.

Meanwhile, the Arab ministers urged the IGC to set a timetable for the drafting of a constitution, the election of an independent government and the withdrawal of the US-led coalition forces from Iraq.

Following Saddam's capture on Dec. 13, Arab countries took the opportunity to call for a quick power transfer to the Iraqi people and express their desire to be further engaged in post-Saddam Iraq.

"The move will create a good opportunity to shift power to the Iraqi people ... in accordance with the precise timetable so Iraqis can rule themselves," said Mubarak, whose view has been shared by other Arab rulers.

"We are ready to work with all the Iraqi authorities as much as we can and as conditions allow to help ease Iraqi pain," said the Egyptian leader.

In mid-December, an Arab League delegation, led by Assistant Secretary-General Ahmad bin Helli, headed to Iraq on a fact-finding mission, the first visit by the pan-Arab body since the downfall of Saddam's regime in April.

During the trip, the delegation met with representatives of various political powers, including IGC members, to learn about the IGC's requirements.

"The Arab side, differing with the United States over post-war arrangements in Iraq, is eager to see an elected Iraqi government as soon as possible instead of the US-picked IGC," Sayed Amin Shalaby, executive director of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs, told Xinhua.

"The longer the US occupation of Iraq takes, the more tense regional situation will be," he said.

Arabs join global campaign to fight terrorism

The Arabs have been getting more involved in the international campaign to fight terrorism since the Sept. 11 terror attacks on the United States, which was believed to be perpetrated by Saudi dissident Osama bin Laden and his al-Qaida terror network.

Being victims of a string of deadly terror attacks targeting the West and even the Arabs in 2003, Arab countries have adopted an even more stringent policy to crack down on terrorism.

In May, a series of suicide bombings rocked the Saudi capital of Riyadh, killing 35 people and wounding nearly 200 others, while four explosions ripped through Morocco's Atlantic port city of Casablanca, the first major bloodshed of its kind in the kingdom in recent years.

On Aug. 19, the UN headquarters in the Iraqi capital of Baghdad was hit by a deadly suicide bombing attack, in which UN special representative for Iraq Sergio de Mello was killed.

Two months later, a suicide bomber drove an explosive-laden ambulance into the barricade of the headquarters of the International Committee of Red Cross in Baghdad and killed two of its employees and 10 others.

On Nov. 8, a bombing attack rocked the Saudi capital of Riyadh, where most of residents were Arab expatriates from Egypt, Lebanon, Syrian and the Palestinian territories. At least 18 people were killed and more than 120 wounded in the blast.

Arab countries have condemned these terror attacks targeting civilians and international organizations, while tightening security at home.

Saudi Arabia, birthplace of Islam and Al-Qaida leader bin Laden, have since May arrested and killed hundreds of terrorists and discovered a great deal of explosives and weapons.

In December, the Saudi Interior Ministry said in a statement that the kingdom will continue to track down terrorists.

At the annual summit held recently, Gulf Arab states -- Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, agreed to sign an agreement on combating terrorism to boost security cooperation.

Situated in one of the world's most terror-plagued regions, the six countries also agreed to reform educational systems to delete material in school curricula seen as breeding hate against the West.

But local analysts, who attribute terror attacks to injustice in the Middle East, claim that there is a long way to go in stemming terrorism.

(Xinhua News Agency December 29, 2003)