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Mideast aid plan aims to bridge gap
WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Aiming to close the "hope gap" in the Middle East, Secretary of State Colin Powell announced a $29 million effort Thursday to bring about economic, political and educational reform in the region. "It has become increasingly clear that we must broaden our approach to the region if we are to achieve success," Powell said during a speech at the Heritage Foundation in Washington. "We must work with peoples and governments to close the gulf between expectation and reality that Jordan's Queen Rania has so eloquently called 'the hope gap.'" The new policy initiative will focus on three "pillars," Powell said. The first is economic. "Hope begins with a paycheck," Powell said. "And that requires a vibrant economy." The plan, dubbed the U.S.-Middle East Partnership Initiative, calls for the United States to work with local groups to encourage investment in the private sectors. "Along with freer economies," Powell said, "many of the peoples of the Middle East need a stronger political voice." And that's the second focus of the initiative. Powell said the initiative will strengthen the political voice of the region's people, especially women, who are underrepresented in Middle Eastern governments. Outlining the third pillar, Powell said, "We will work with parents and educators to bridge the knowledge gap with better schools and more opportunities for higher education." The secretary said President Bush directed him last March during a visit to Washington by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, to come up with ideas for bringing positive change to the Middle East. The Bush administration will initially commit $29 million, in addition to $1 billion in economic assistance already given to Arab countries, Powell said. The administration plans to seek additional funding from Congress next year. Projects in the plan include: -- help for countries that aspire to join the World Trade Organization -- free trade agreement negotiations with Morocco -- scholarships to keep girls in school Karim Kawar, Jordan's ambassador to the U.S., said that while the new initiative is encouraging, "it will be important [for the United States] not to come across as imposing" values and policies on the region. "It's important to remain engaged," Kawar said. "But there are local solutions which should be identified and encouraged." Egypt's U.S. Ambassador, Nabil Fahmy, said that many of the issues raised in Powell's speech are being addressed by Arab leaders, including his own president, Hosni Mubarak. "Economic development, better education, peace in the Middle East. These are not things being challenged on their own merits," he said. But he added he doesn't think "anyone can impose one's views on another country in terms of societal problems." Fahmy said Egypt is already working with the Bush administration on projects related to the new initiative and that a high level delegation would be coming to Washington shortly to discuss how they can further cooperate on such issues. An Israeli diplomat reacted positively to Powell's speech, saying "[He] hit the nail on the head today." "Most U.S. policy has been based on peace in the Middle East, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and containment of countries like Iraq and Iran," he said. "They are all terribly important but ultimately the root causes of the Middle East being such an explosive area" is a lack of democracy. The Israeli diplomat said the autocratic nature of many Arab governments is the reason the region is "prone to extremism, prone to violence, prone to instability" and is "a feeding ground" for terrorism. The diplomat added that the fact that Powell devoted an entire speech to the issue was an "important message" about the priority the administration places on democracy in the Middle East. While pitching the reforms, Powell did not stray far from talk of war. He said that dealing with two persistent threats to regional stability is key to the success of reform plans. "We must also deal with the grave and growing danger posed by the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein," Powell said. "The Iraqi regime can either disarm, or be disarmed. The choice is theirs -- but it can no longer be postponed." And he reiterated the administration's goal of Palestinian statehood by 2005. "This peace will require from the Palestinians a new and different leadership, new institutions and an end to terror and violence," Powell said. "Israel will also be required to make hard choices, including an end to all settlement construction activity." He noted that the region also has a key role in the war against terrorism.
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