December/January 1992/93, Page 30

What Should the Outgoing and Incoming Administrations Do to Secure Middle East Peace?—Three Views

Three Views from a U.S. Diplomat, an Arab American and a Muslim American

Nine Ways the Clinton Administration Can Strengthen Middle East Security

By Zena Neme Shoucair

Security and stability in the Middle East must be the cornerstones of U. S. Middle East policy. Central to those goals is a comprehensive negotiated settlement to the Arab-Israeli conflict. The Bush administration concentrated on foreign policy issues: ending the Cold War era and beginning the Middle East peace process. President-elect Bill Clinton's transition team should focus on continuation of the peace process without interruption.

Although the Clinton administration is likely to concentrate on domestic affairs, there are nine things it should do initially to ensure a more balanced Middle East policy:

(1) The U.S. should support the idea of land for peace.

(2) The U.S. should oppose unconditional loan guarantees to Israel.

(3) The U.S. should continue improving its alliances with such Arab countries as Egypt and the six members of the Gulf Cooperation Council. These countries are important to the U.S. as well as the world economy. Thus, strengthening alliances with them would strengthen them against extremists and promote the democratization that is essential for world peace.

(4) The U.S. should work to end Israeli occupation of Arab territories, and halt all further settlement activity. Continuation of such imperialistic and inhumane acts on the part of Israel would have a negative effect on world peace and further destabilize the region.

Israel's security must be maintained, of course, but peace in the region will not be strengthened by depriving the Palestinian people of sovereignty and a homeland, and thus thwarting their aspirations for political legitimacy and independence. In the past, the U.S. repeatedly has demonstrated its friendship for Israel, which is the largest recipient of U.S. military and foreign aid.

(5) The Clinton-Gore administration should reaffirm the American commitment to the current framework and timetable for Middle East peace. A special U.S. envoy with credibility on both sides could offer proposals to facilitate the negotiations. With the support of regional and American experts, the envoy can inform policy makers concerning the political dynamics in Arab countries and reinforce the impetus toward democratic reforms.

(6) The new administration should reaffirm Lebanon's right to independence and full sovereignty. It can do that by increasing economic and military aid to Lebanon, which needs so much help to rebuild after almost two decades of destruction. The U.S. also must call upon Israel, as well as Syria, to withdraw unconditionally from Lebanon. The U.S. should urge Israel to respond to extremist provocations from Lebanon in a manner that will reduce rather than exacerbate the problems of the Lebanese government in restoring its sovereignty over all of its territory.

(7) The Clinton administration should reaffirm the U.S. commitment to the ground rules established in Madrid one year ago that specify that Middle East peace negotiations will be based upon the land-for-peace formula contained in U.N. Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338. The U.S. must not permit Israeli annexation of East Jerusalem, whose status remains to be negotiated as part of an overall peace agreement. To do otherwise would disqualify the U.S. as an honest broker in the peace process, and halt movement toward more democracy in the Middle East.

(8) The U.S. should support the lifting of U.N. sanctions against the Iraqi people.

(9) The U.S. should avoid approving any Middle East agreements that leave the legitimate claims of the Palestinians unaddressed. The Israelis seek to make such an agreement by restoring lands seized from Syria in return for Syrian agreement to drop their support for equally valid territorial claims by the Palestinians.

The Gulf war evidently took place to demonstrate the U.S. role as protector of its allies in the Gulf region. Although the tyrant Saddam Hussain was ejected from Kuwait, he was not overthrown. Nor, although thousands died, did the Gulf war bring democracy either to Kuwait or to Iraq. The U.S. must adopt a broader policy that not only protects its friends but also will help the Iraqi people overthrow Saddam Hussain and restore peace and stability to their lives.

Zena Neme Shoucair, a graduate of Wayne State University in political science and Near Eastern studies, has worked with the Arab American Institute in Michigan since 1990. She was a delegate to the 1992 Democratic National Convention and a volunteer worker among Arab-American voters on behalf of the Clinton-Gore presidential campaign.