Arabs approve of democracy

last updated 8 January 2015

Cairo

Arab foreign ministers this week formally endorsed the concepts of human rights and democracy. In a document setting the agenda for the Arab League summit in Tunis later this month, the ministers called for political reform in Arab countries, including the establishment of independent courts. The summit was originally scheduled for March, but was abruptly canceled the night before it was to open because ministers could not agree on what to discuss. This time, Secretary-General Amr Moussa said, “all issues, whether Palestine or Iraq, have been agreed upon.” But the pan-Arab paper Al-Quds al-Arabi said the compromises were “deformed and mediocre settlements.”