Background:
The first part of the recording is a press conference by Foreign Minister ʿAmru Mūsā, who was speaking in both Arabic and English, during the 1996 Arab Summit which was held in Cairo, Egypt in which he was mainly discussing the Arab relations for cooperation and the peace process in the Arab World. While the second part is an interview with Saʿād al-dīn ʾĪbrāhīm, in English, commenting on the 1996 Arab Summit.
Side A:
ʿAmru Mūsā commented, during the press conference, on what happened during the summit so far. He mentioned that the agenda was adapted, the delegations of Algeria, Sudan, Bahrain, Lebanon, Jordan have taken the floor and that discussions and debates occurred between the heads of states.
Mūsā mentioned that all the discussions were conducted with transparency and positivity which he viewed as a very good step to empower the Arab States to reach effective decisions with huge support to the peace process. The main concerns of the summit, as said by Mūsā, were centered around the degree of cooperation that should be agreed upon between the Arab Countries and the process of consultation and harmonization of positions between them.
Mūsā clarified that President Mubārak advocated the use of peace not out of fear but out of it being an effective tool to achieve goals aspired by the Arab States. Mūsā was concerned with the negativity displayed by Israeli politician David Levy (1938) and the Israelis regarding the Palestinian issue. He confirmed his, and all the Arabs, support for establishing a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital.
Mūsā mentioned that a meeting between Jordanian King Ḥussaīn bin Talāl and Syrian President Ḥafiz al-Ḥafiẓ al- ʾAssad in the presence of President Ḥūsnī Mubārak. The three leaders tackled the issues of the peace process and the situation in the Arab World. Another fruitful meeting was held between Ḥafiẓ al- ʾAssad and the Palestinian leader Yāssir ʿArafāt.
Side B:
Egyptian sociologist Dr. Saʿād al-dīn ʾĪbrāhīm commented on the summit mentioning that Arabs are reaffirming their positions regarding peace with equity, justice, and honor. He believes that this has been the Arab slogan for the key Arab countries for the last several years. Egypt is keen on having unity and solidarity among Arabs so when they negotiate with the Israeli government, they will be doing this from a position of relative strength.
ʾĪbrāhīm also spoke about the US-Arab relations. He described the United States as a blind supporter of Israel. The Arabs were distressed with the United States’ use of the veto power in the Security Council while Israel was using force against civilians in Lebanon. Also, Arabs showed concerns with the vague statements made by Netanyahu that he was willing to go to peace only if there are no preconditions. This was understood as not committing to the earlier promises made by the state of Israel.
ʾĪbrāhīm said that the majority of Arabs are with the peace suggested by Mubarak but few states and regimes believe that Israel is not sincere with its promises to the Arabs. He believes that there are blocks now in Turkey that are with the Palestinian issue despite Turkey’s dispute with Syria. Turkey’s agreements with Israel put pressure on Syria not to submit to Israel, but to stop its support for the Kurdish militant party. He mentioned that Syria is a very powerful country in the region that has many connections with other state and non-state actors.
When asked about the absence of King Ḥassan of Morocco, ʾĪbrāhīm mentioned that he is one of the Arab leaders who has gone too far in promoting peace and that Morocco has a lot of moral weight in addition to being a major Arab country. ʾĪbrāhīm believes the presence of Sudan in the summit is with the intent to mend its relations with Egypt after the assassination attempt of Hūsnī Mubārak in Addis Ababa.
