Arab Spring, IMF To Preoccupy G8 Leaders

[ rfe/rl banner ]

Arab Spring, IMF To Preoccupy G8 Leaders

May 26, 2011

By RFE/RL

Leaders of the Group of Eight (G8) major industrialized countries opened a two-day summit in the French town of Deauville on May 26, with a focus on the upheavals sweeping the Middle East and North Africa.

Speaking at an opening news conference, European Council President Herman van Rompuy emphasized that the bloc wanted to assist those in Africa and the Middle East seeking change.

"The clear objective is to support the democratic and economic aspirations of the 400 million people in this area," he said. "These developments in the Arab world are of crucial importance for all G8 partners. For Europe, moreover, it is our southern neighborhood. We have to listen to those peoples and to offer our support."

European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso concurred, noting that the EU had already taken some important steps.

"We want strong and concrete support to democratic transitions in the Middle East and Northern Africa," he said. "We must stand with those who seek freedom and democracy. That is why the European Union acted immediately by offering a new partnership for democracy and shared prosperity for the south Mediterranean."

The G8 leaders are expected to endorse an aid plan that would help pro-democracy activists and reformers in the Arab world.

On The Side Of Those Who Want To Be Free

That plan was announced in London on May 25 by British Prime Minister David Cameron after he had talks with U.S. President Barack Obama.

"We [will] push for a major program of economic and political support for those countries seeking reform," Cameron said, adding that UN resolutions against the Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi would continue to be enforced and that it was "impossible to imagine a future for Libya with Qaddafi still in power."

Obama mentioned Tunisia and Egypt as two countries that need G8 support after popular uprisings earlier this year brought down long-term rulers there, adding that it was necessary to "stand squarely on the side of those who long to be free."

"That means investing in the future of those nations that transition to democracy, starting with Tunisia and Egypt, by deepening ties of trade and commerce, [and]by helping them demonstrate that freedom brings prosperity," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner wrote in a letter to the G8 on May 25 that all G8 countries "share a compelling interest in seeing the transitions in Egypt and Tunisia succeed and become models for the region."

Without action, they said, the world risks "losing this moment of opportunity."

Obama said the situation in Syria, where there has been a brutal government crackdown against people demonstrating for a democratic transition, is also a key issue.

He said the United States "welcomes" the European Union's decision to impose sanctions on Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and that the United States and others were "increasing pressure on him and his regime in order to end his policy of repression and begin the change that people seek."

But Russia continues to oppose sanctions and the use of force against its Soviet-era ally Syria and other bilateral partners. Moscow issued a statement ahead of this week's summit warning that the event should not be used as a platform for "instigating pressure and sanctions" against Arab regimes that are partners with Moscow.

Overnight violence in Yemen, one of several Arab states where longtime rulers face unprecedented popular uprisings, may also get attention.

The United States, a key sponsor of Yemen's President Ali Abdullah Saleh, ordered all but essential diplomatic staff to leave the country as clashes between tribal militias and government troops intensified -- leading some analysts and correspondents to report that Yemen is now embroiled in a civil war.

BRICS Push For Non-EU IMF Boss

Russian President Dmitry Medvedev and Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper arrived on May 25 while the leaders of France, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany, Japan, and Italy were arriving on May 26.

One issue that could distract the G8 leaders from talks on how to support democratic reforms in the Arab world is the debate over who should be the next managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) -- a post left vacant by the departure of Dominique Strauss-Kahn, a Frenchman who is charged with the attempted rape of a New York hotel maid.

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde announced on the eve of the G8 summit that she was a candidate for the post, after securing the unanimous backing of the 27-nation European Union.

Emerging market nations have been pushing for an alternative, saying that the long-standing tradition of a European IMF chief is no longer appropriate because of Europe's sovereign debt crisis and the financial support that Europe needs from the IMF to support its common euro currency.

The so-called BRICS grouping -- Brazil, Russia, India, China, and South Africa -- raised objections earlier this week to the appointment of a European to the top IMF post. But independently, some members of BRICS have issued conflicting signals. China has said the decision should be made through "democratic consultation."

Russia's ambassador to France, Aleksandr Orlov, said he does not think Moscow would object to the appointment of the French finance minister. But Orlov questioned why non-European countries, "notably the BRICS" countries, shouldn't have their own candidate.

Kremlin observers are predicting that Russian President Dmitry Medvedev is likely to defend the position of BRICS during the G8 summit.

with agency reports

Source: http://www.rferl.org/content/armenian_parliament_approves_amnesty_jailed_oppositionists/24206116.html

NEWSLETTER

Join the GlobalSecurity.org mailing list

Military

Arab Spring, IMF To Preoccupy G8 Leaders