The Middle East Peace Initiative

The POST, Sun, February,11, 2007.

Pervaiz Iqbal Cheema

Recently President Musharraf has launched peace initiative with two objectives in mind; the resolution of the Palestine dispute and creating harmony among the Muslim countries. In this connection he has already visited five Middle Eastern countries and two South East Asian countries. He has also talked to the leaders of Iran and Turkey on telephone. Both the expressed objectives are not easy to attain but the effort deserve support from all quarters of the Muslim world. Since the recent initiative is the product of a Pakistani leader, it is also imperative that all factions of Pakistani society extend support to it.

The last major initiative from a Muslim leader was put forward by the then Saudi Crown prince Abdullah who is now the King of Saudi Arabia. His peace plan was also aimed at ending the conflict in the Middle East. Indeed the plan made a magnanimous but conditional offer to recognize Israel provided the Israelis vacated all the occupied lands. Since 1967 it has only withdrawn from Sinai as a part of Camp David accord in exchange for diplomatic recognition by Egypt. Although both the Arab states as well as other influential counties western welcomed the plan but not much progress was registered afterward despite the fact that the plan had also secured the blessings of the American president as well.

An important aspect that attracted considerations for Abdullah plan was that the plan had been put forward by Saudi Arabia.  Saudi Arabia enjoys a special status among the Muslims and its rulers being the custodian of the holy places command enormous respect from the Muslims all over the world. Besides, the Saudis are also on good terms with most of the influential western powers. Cognizant of the Saudi influence over most of the Islamic world, many western countries fully comprehend the significance of a peace plan coming out of Saudi Arabia.

The last major western initiative is commonly referred as quartet plan. The Middle East roadmap devised by a quartet consisting of US, UN, Russia and European Union was another effort to secure the much-desired peace in the area. The peace process actually came into being after the Arab-Israeli War of 1973. Since then many efforts have been undertaken to secure the advent of peace. Among the notable efforts are included Camp David Accords, Oslo process, Madrid Conference and Prince Abdullah’s peace plan, which secured the blessings of the Arabs. The roadmap was indeed another product of a desire to secure peace in the Middle East. Some viewed it as another window of opportunity to resolve the conflict but the peace continued to remain an illusive commodity.

So far neither the efforts of leading powers as well as Saudi effort have been able to secure peace in the Middle East. Violence and extremism has been inflicting the area. No forward movement aimed toward the much desired peace is visible. Given the incumbent depressive environment, it is imperative that some peace initiative is undertaken either from the outside or within the Islamic world. Indeed President Musharraf’s initiative is timely.

This is not the first time that President Musharraf has highlighted the need to curb extremism and promote harmony among the Muslim countries. He has been putting forward recipes periodically. His continuous efforts are reflective of the intensity of a desire for peace within the Islamic world. A simple glance at the Islamic world generates shivers and depressive vibes. Not only there are internal conflicts in which Muslims are killing the Muslims but also the Muslims are being subjective to shabby treatment by the non-Muslims in many parts of the world especially after the tragic events of 9/11.

There exists a general consensus that the main problem in the Middle East is the Palestine dispute and unless and until this dispute is resolved, the violence and extremism would continue to plague the area. Therefore it is not too far fetched to assume that the resolution of Palestine dispute be accorded top priority. This is precisely what appears to have been troubling President Musharraf and that is why, it seems, that he went to visit so many Muslim countries for extensive consultations. The initial aim appears to be to assess and explore the thinking of other leaders of influential Muslim countries.

Perhaps the most important aspect of Musharraf initiative that deserves to be highlighted is the likely formation of a small group of Muslim countries with the objectives of applying a quick recipe to periodically emerging problems within the Muslim World.  It appears that Musharraf’s efforts are focused to ascertain, assess the thinking of the Muslim leaders in order to form a group of influential and like minded countries with a view to work for harmony in the Muslim world and contribute towards resolution of disputes in the Middle East.

Admittedly all disputes and major issues within the Muslim world need to be resolved through the efforts of the OIC but then OIC consists of 57 independent Muslim countries and it is not an easy task to secure a consensus quickly within such a large body. Therefore it is imperative that a small group of influential and like minded Muslim countries is formed in order to undertake a quick initiative.

Given the rapidity with which the Musharraf initiative is gaining recognition and accompanying support, it would not be too far fetched to assume that the much awaited resumption of Middle East peace process might materialize much quicker than expected. A quick replacement of violence with negotiations could accelerate the pace of peace process leading to the establishment of desired Palestinian state as envisaged in the Oslo Accord. The persistence in violent approaches could only invoke reactive violence and may eventually prove extremely detrimental to the regional interests of all the involved actors.  

Scanning through most statements of the Israeli leaders over the last 59 years of Israel’s independent existence it is not too far fetched to assume that the most important Israeli objective is peace and stability along with its much wanted recognition by the surrounding Muslim states initially and later by the entire Islamic world. If this is the main desire of the Israelis then they should support and encourage all such initiative aimed at peace in the area.

If, however, the Israeli objective is to extend its borders and capture more and more Arab lands over the years on flimsy excuses, then the chances for protracted struggle are much greater. One can understand the inability of the Arabs to oust the Israelis from occupied land at the moment but then the nature of international relations is dynamic and the situations keep changing and the emergence of conducive developments may prove extremely detrimental to Israeli interests. The recent Israeli attack on Lebanon with the objective of elimination Hizbullah which resulted in total failure clearly supports this contention.

Musharraf initiative needs to be supported not only by all the member of the OIC but also by the producers of quartet plan. A joint effort could not only resolve the Palestine dispute but could also facilitate in curbing the extremism and violence. While many leaders all around the world periodically and repeatedly expressed their desire to curb extremism and violence, they need to sincerely undertake and support initiatives like the Musharraf initiative.

The writer works for Islamabad Policy research Institute.