Update

Search for Common Ground in the Middle East

The Conflict Resolution Program (CRP) moved to Morocco in July to establish a new office in Rabat. Program Director Oussama Safa and Senior Program Associate Adnane Raiss will work closely with the Rabat-based Human Rights Center for Documentation Information and Training on introducing mediation and collaborative problem-solving approaches to Morocco. The first project, which will be launched in September, will include an exchange program between Morocco and the US, and will focus on labor mediation and settlement of labor disputes between Moroccan unions, the government, and private sector enterprises. The overall goal of the program is to institutionalize the field of dispute resolution in Morocco.

Plans to create the first Egyptian center for conflict resolution continue to move forward. In June, Program Director Oussama Safa met in Cairo with the new management of the National Center for Middle East Studies (NCMES) to coordinate next steps on this joint project. It was agreed that the project will increasingly target Egyptian NGOs while more actively engaging longtime program participants. The first program activity will take place in the fall.

The Conflict Resolution Program is working in partnership with the Lebanon Conflict Resolution Network on developing a new project in south Lebanon. The project would focus on building the capacity of communities that were previously under Israeli occupation to engage in dialogue and cooperate on joint projects.

The UNRWA Peer Mediation project in Gaza and the West Bank is still moving forward under the direction of another partner, the Gaza Center for Helping Resolve Community Disputes, despite the difficult situation in those areas. Progress has been slow but the project is well into its second phase.

The escalating violence between Israelis and Palestinians in recent months has helped to shape other dynamics throughout the Middle East, including the reintegration of Iraq into the region and the continued proliferation of weapons of mass destruction (WMD). Amidst this atmosphere of tension and hostility, the Security Working Group (SWG) has enabled security experts from around the region to engage in constructive and productive dialogue on these vital issues.

In May, the SWG Sub-Group on Iraq convened in Prague to explore common ground on a new policy toward Iraq. The participants discussed their various national perspectives on Iraq's role in the region, on the current sanctions regime, and on the proposals for a revised sanctions regime that were being discussed by the US, the UK and by the UN Security Council members. These proposals would have eliminated many of the trade sanctions and focused on financial and military sanctions. The discussion proved to be extremely lively and productive, as participants clarified their perceptions and intentions, and shared their objectives and potential strategies for easing the suffering of the Iraqi people, improving the economic condition of their own people, ensuring regional stability and addressing the threat posed by the Iraqi regime. The participants then formulated a set of common principles and recommendations on a new policy for Iraq.

The Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) Sub-Group convened in July in Istanbul. Participants reviewed the significant developments in WMD proliferation that have occurred in the past three years, and assessed the impact of extra-regional and technological developments that may contribute to WMD proliferation in the Middle East. They then summarized the views and concerns of their respective countries with respect to WMD, identifying areas of convergence and potential conflict.

Building on the most salient elements of these discussions, the participants made recommendations for future meetings. They will first address how to deal with a proliferated Middle Eastern security environment in the coming years to prevent the escalation to the threat of use or actual use of WMD. As part of this discussion, Indian and Pakistani strategic analysts may be invited to share lessons learned from the nuclear-ization of the sub-continent. Second, the group will address possible mechanisms for a reversal or rollback of WMD proliferation some time in the future.

The Media Working Group remains active on several fronts despite the many challenges posed by the current regional environment.

The Common Ground News Service (CGNews), which was announced in the last issue, has grown quickly and now reaches 85 Middle Eastern newspapers and other media worldwide. Each week, the service distributes three to five articles from the Arab, Israeli, and Western press via e-mail to highlight perspectives that may help improve understanding and communication in the Middle East. Copyright permissions are obtained in advance of distribution, and a number of articles have been re-published in Arab, Israeli, and Western papers, and on several online publications.

A CGNews web page has recently been launched that includes an archive of articles and editorial cartoons, in addition to the current issue. Bulletin readers are welcome and encouraged to subscribe at .

The Media Group is also continuing the Common Ground Awards for Journalism in the Middle East for the third year to recognize and encourage journalism that contributes to better understanding in the Middle East. For more information about the awards, see the enclosed insert or visit the Search for Common Ground website.

Bulletin of Regional Cooperation in the Middle East Summer 2001 Copyright 2004 Search for Common Groun