Update

SCGME Project Update

In mid-April, the Security Working Group held its 17th meeting in The Hague with sponsorship from the Dutch Government. Civilian security analysts, journalists, retired generals and diplomats, and academics from ten countries and the Palestinian autonomous areas discussed the Israeli elections and the status of the peace process; Iran’s relations with the Gulf; Jordan after King Hussein; and the future of Iraq.

While there was consensus that little progress has been made recently in the peace process, the Wye Agreement was seen to have brought a positive change in terms of the entry of the US as a third party rather than a sponsor, which has led to cooperation with the Palestinians. The Palestinians now have a mechanism for information exchange with US officials, which has enabled the US to look at issues from the Palestinian as well as the Israeli perspective, created more trust between the two sides, and garnered credibility for the Palestinians.

During the discussion on Iran-Gulf relations, it was noted that the shift in Iranian policy toward rebuilding relations with the Arab world can be attributed to the fact that Iranian policy makers no longer view the GCC as a US-dominated group of states. Current Iranian-Gulf relations are built upon past misperceptions, and Iran understands that it will take time to rebuild trust. Similarly, Iran’s decision to downgrade relations with non-governmental groups and upgrade relations with governments is regarded as a significant indicator of its interest in improving relations with the Gulf.

Participants agreed on the usefulness of forming sub-groups on Israeli-Palestinian final status issues, weapons of mass destruction, and Iran-Gulf relations. They also discussed the possibility of undertaking a feasibility study on the establishment of a regional security center for the Middle East and Gulf.

A meeting summary is available upon request.

The Civil Society Working Group is continuing to bring together participants in its Supporting NGO Growth and Effectiveness in the Middle East project to draft an Arabic-language manual to strengthen NGO transparency and accountability. Upon completion in fall 1999, the manual will be utilized in pilot training workshops for NGO representatives in the region.

In partnership with the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights (LCHR) in New York, the Group has translated into Arabic a comprehensive analysis of the Declaration for Human Rights Defenders that was written in English by LCHR. This document is an excellent resource for human rights defenders and activists alike. To receive a copy in English or Arabic, please contact SCGME in Amman. The number of copies is limited.

In 1996, the Civil Society Working Group developed a program entitled The Campaign Against Torture in the Middle East and North Africa. A regional network of Campaign members was created in 1997 and has since continued many activities of the program at the regional level. A meeting of the regional network will take place at the end of May in Nicosia, Cyprus, under the auspices of the International Rehabilitation Council for Torture Victims (IRCT - Copenhagen) and the Medical Rehabilitation Center for Torture Victims (MRCT - Athens). The Civil Society Working Group will co-Chair this important meeting.

The Media Working Group is finalizing details for a meeting of Middle Eastern Media Professionals, which will be held in partnership with the Cyprus-based Centre for World Dialogue. Themes on the agenda include the impact of satellite television and the Internet on Middle Eastern media and the importance of programming for youth in the Middle East. This meeting will also seek to set the strategic direction for the working group in the coming year.

Planning is also underway for a workshop with Middle Eastern radio and television producers and teenagers at the Seeds of Peace Camp in the state of Maine - an example of Arab and Israeli coexistence. This project is designed to generate program ideas that will address the demand for more coexistence and reconciliation-oriented programming in the Middle East.

Members of the program staff have been developing these and other activities with partners in the media across the region. Other projects currently under development include: a workshop for journalists on shared environmental concerns, a syndicated Middle Eastern political cartoon feature and exhibit of Middle Eastern cartoons, and a journalism award for "common ground" reporting in the Arabic, Hebrew and English-language press.

The Conflict Resolution Working Group’s Lebanese Conflict Resolution Network (LCRN) has been active in conducting training workshops throughout Lebanon for youth volunteer clubs affiliated with Save the Children-USA. A conflict resolution curriculum for these clubs is now under development.

The Arabic conflict resolution manual that the LCRN recently published has been put into use by several peace-building projects and organizations in the Palestinian autonomous areas and Jordan where it has gotten a very positive reception. The LCRN is now working to resolve water disputes in the Bekaa valley and has recently convened stakeholder meetings as part of that process.