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Strengthening Dialogue and Democratic Discourse Through Strengthening Dialogue and Democratic Discourse through Freedom of Association in the Mediterranean and the Middle East Region Mediterranean and the Middle East Region Strengthening Dialogue and Democratic Discourse through Freedom Freedom Dialogue and Democratic Discourse through Strengthening of Association in the Strengthening Dialogue and Democratic Discourse through Freedom of Association in the Mediterranean and the Middle East Region STRENGTHENING DIALOGUE AND DEMOCRATIC DISCOURSE THROUGH FREEDOM OF AssOCIATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN AND THE MIDDLE EAST REGION C/ Goya 5-7, Pasaje 2ª Madrid 28001 Spain Tel: +34 911 548 230 Fax: +34 911 548 240 www.clubmadrid.org D.L. © Club de Madrid • 2009 All rights reserved. No portion of this document may be reprinted without prior permission of the Club de Madrid INDEX Foreword by Club de Madrid Members 5 Project Introduction 11 Project Recommendations and Findings 19 FRIDE reports 29 The Spanish Transition Process 179 ABOUT US The Club de Madrid is an independent organization dedicated to strengthening democracy around the world by drawing on the unique experience and resources of its Members – over 70 democratic former Presidents and Prime Ministers from more than 50 countries. In partnership with other organizations and governments that share its goals of “democracy that delivers”, the Club de Madrid provides peer to peer counsel, strategic support and technical advice to leaders and institutions working towards democratic transition and consolidation. FOREWORD BY CLUB DE MADRID MEMBERS Since World War II, there has been halting but nonetheless significant progress toward establishing democratic, constitutional regimes in many areas of the globe. One region, however, stands out as a glaring exception to the general picture of the gradual spread of democratic systems worldwide. This region is the Middle East, which for nearly half a century has been an almost universally bleak desert as far as the development of vibrant, full-fledged democratic systems is concerned- Sowing Crisis: The Cold War and American Dominance in the Middle East, Rashid Khalidi, 2009 ABDULKAREEM AL ERYANI, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF YEMEN CLUB DE MADRID MEMBER AND PROJECT CO-CHAIR I think it was a very wise choice that the Club de Madrid chose the Arab world to promote freedom of association and expression. Compared to any other region in the world, I think these freedoms are most restricted in the Arab world. Both freedom of association and expression are cornerstones of democracy and democratization. Without them, we could say democracy is restricted (not to say lacking) because there are democratic practices to some extent. I think we in the Arab world, need to be fully sensitized to these freedoms. Our Club de Madrid initiative has played a significant role in this aspect of democratization. Unfortunately, the democratisation process that might be going on in the Arab world is still more or less a gift from the Head of State. It is not yet a mass movement that creates a democratic system. I don’t mean in a revolutionary way, but a democratic process led by mass action and understanding of these rights, not one led by rulers and the ruling class. Capacity building and support to NGOs working in this area is crucial to this type of grass roots movement and support to freedom of association, which I think we have been able to contribute to. Sensitization and awareness are the most important project achievements, whether with regard to NGOs or to government officials. I think in some cases, some NGOs have put a lot of hope on the role of the Club de Madrid and it is uncertain whether we can really fulfil that hope. Of course we will submit the project recommendations, but it is up to the rulers to decide whether they want to implement them or not. Because of the composition of the Club de Madrid, there was a great deal of hope put on our role. Let’s hope that these organisations, these NGOs, will one day say thanks to the Club de Madrid because of change that has occurred. I think that the wave of democratisation will not stop or go backward, however sometimes the process is fluid. I’m rather optimistic to hope that democracy will come soon and I hope the Club de Madrid will continue this important work in other countries in the region to broaden awareness and have follow-up projects including seminars, workshops and dialogue with leadership, to encourage them to give more space for freedom of association and expression. These important initiatives have to continue and we cannot stop where we are now. 7 AL IMAM AL SADIG AL MAHDI, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF SUDAN CLUB DE MADRID MEMBER AND PROJECT CO-CHAIR The basis of the Club de Madrid’s initiative on Freedom of Association in the Middle East and North Africa is that of human rights, inclusion, participation and the freedom to associate as universal values. Over the course of the past two years, in our visits and dialogues we have been welcomed by civil society, including opposition parties, and by governments and ruling parties. The fact that the Club de Madrid is composed of statesmen who are experienced and aware of realities in the region has meant that the authorities involved were not scared –they were not afraid that we were starry-eyed idealists who come with unrealistic ideas–. They could see that this is a group that, although it certainly has democratic intentions at heart, is also aware of the real world. This has made the Club de Madrid credible in their eyes, and allowed our work to have more impact. A clear lesson to be drawn from our conversations and engagement in this project is that this whole exercise of reform for greater freedom of association and democratic freedoms in general is contingent on leaders having the political will to make and allow change. We can now ask if things will change after the revolution, because we can begin to imagine the revolution. The world is changing, and politics and societies in the Arab world –the last largely-undemocratic region– will follow suit. Now that Europe and the U.S., led by President Obama, are speaking with the Arab and Muslim world in a different way, with a friendlier, more open and respectful approach, we must ask ourselves, “Are we –Arabs particularly– prepared to respond?” Are we ready for a new discourse not just with the outside world, but within our own societies? In the Middle East and North African region there remain many signs that we are not. While the pull factors of outside pressure, support and encouragement may be getting better, we have to admit that the internal push factors in our societies are weak. Our regimes have worked hard to see to it that the political parties, trade unions and NGOs are weakened, divided, and interfered with in every possible way to make them ineffective. But things are beginning to change, and the rulers know that they too need to be part of –to lead if they can– change, or they will be changed. This change, while necessary, will not come easily and leaders in the region, as rulers everywhere, do not want to give up power. 8 VALDIS BIRKAVS, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF LATVIA CLUB DE MADRID MEMBER In this project, we have learned and witnessed that each and every one of our project countries is at a different point of the reform process. Regarding lessons learned for the future and the region, I would like to reference a country that I visited several times during this initiative, Saudi Arabia. I would like to stress that it is a complicated and fascinating country, which very much needs reforms for its own benefit. We found that His Majesty the King understands this and is cautiously moving ahead. We also learned that the country’s reformists want more pressure to come from within, but recognize that many Saudis are not pushing for change. Despite all existing problems, there is a lot of support for gradual reforms initiated by His Majesty the King and the challenge is how to use this support to speed up reforms without damaging the process. In this respect, the only successful and relevant way forward would be to promote freedom of association and issue (although limited) the respective civil society law. The implementation of this law is crucial for reform in Saudi Arabia and demonstrates that the Club de Madrid has chosen the right approach to help the Arab world move ahead with reforms locally initiated by helping to slowly incorporate and encourage civil society and citizen’s engagement in their own reform processes and nation building. 9 KJELL MAGNE BONDEVIK, FORMER PRIME MINISTER OF NORWAY CLUB DE MADRID MEMBER This project has been able to bring together key players for a productive dialogue on their experience of reforms for freedom of association, accomplishments, best practices and lessons learned. It has been an interesting experience for me to participate in this project in Morocco, Jordan and Egypt. I have learned a lot from the many visits and meetings with people from another culture than my own. I think we have managed to create a greater understanding of the benefits of social cohesion among leaders in the Arab world and the need for a better legislation and practise regarding freedom of association in the project countries. I hope one of the results from our work will be more institutionalised and frequent dialogue and communication between Government and civil society in the project countries. The program for the missions varied from country to country. To meet representatives from the civil society was important to get an impression of their working conditions.
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