The Arab revolutions and democratic change in Egypt and Tunisia will feature prominently at the G8 Summit on Thursday and Friday in Deauville, the French historical and tourist city in Normandy. In sessions chaired by Nicolas Sarkozy, leading heads of state in the industrial world will discuss economic and investment plans to assist the democratic transition in Egypt and Tunisia. This will take place in the presence of the transitional prime ministers of these two countries, and the secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, the likely candidate for the presidency of Egypt. The transitional course in Tunisia and Egypt certainly raises questions about the hesitation, by the authorities that are managing affairs in the two countries, about the date of legislative elections. We have heard that Tunisia will postpone the polls until October and Egypt is witnessing a debate about the likelihood of extending the transitional period. In both countries, youth-driven events and movements are taking place, which might appear to some to be a warning bell about the emerging democratic process. However, as French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe said, no democratic revolution in history has come about without difficulties and periods of retreat. He gave the example of the Revolution of 1789 in France, and the resulting events, until decades later the country arrived at true democracy. No doubt, assistance for these countries is urgently needed, even if their democratic institutions have yet to take shape. However, economic help is necessary, which puts the G8 countries before the question of their priorities. Meanwhile, the other Arab revolutions will be at the core of G8 discussions. With regard to Libya, there is a Western-Russian-Arab consensus about the need to see Gaddafi go. However, the problem is that NATO strikes are continuing, and Gaddafi is still in power, heedless of the fact that his country's cities are being bombed because of him. He will remain to the last moment and is unconcerned by the number of casualties. How can he be convinced to leave his country and release his people, who have been captives to his rule for more than 40 years? The West certainly faces a predicament today, since the NATO strikes, as Juppe told Al-Hayat, cannot continue for months, and must produce results within weeks. He said the strategy of the great powers will also be a subject for discussions, along with the Yemeni situation. President Ali Abdullah Saleh wants to retain his post, while the Gulf initiative represented an honorable solution for him. Saleh is now refusing to sign the initiative, on the pretext that its conditions are unacceptable to his people. The situation in Syria will also be on the agenda for discussion, especially since Britain and France have been pushing hard for a United Nations Security Council Resolution that rejects the crackdown there. However, Russia's hint that it will veto such a measure has blocked the initiative; thus, Europe has resorted to more sanctions. The Syrian foreign minister's threat to European interests, meanwhile, will not deter the G8 countries from changing their new, announced policy, which now supports the demands of Arab peoples, and opposes killing and threats. This is also a new period in the history of European countries in their dealings with Arab regimes that do not hear the calls of their publics or their aspirations for freedom. The G8 countries will discuss increasing pressure on Damascus; this regime has returned to its international isolation and will not benefit from a strategy of threats and ignoring reform or the need to respond to its surrounding region and the popular developments taking place around it, in the Arab world. The Middle East peace process is another key topic that will command some attention during the discussions, and especially the bilateral talks that Sarkozy will hold with Obama, Cameron and Medvedev. They will discuss how to convince the US that it is necessary to accept resurrecting the peace track, and turn a donors' conference for the Palestinian Authority a political conference that mark the beginning of launching the Palestinian-Israeli negotiation track. It is expected that this conference will be delayed until the end of June, and it is obvious that the Israelis are objecting to all criteria of the peace process, and refusing a return to the 1967 borders, as well as Jerusalem being the capital of the two states. They are also opposed to the criteria set down by the International Quartet. What kind of conference can be organized under such conditions, with Obama's retreat on the return to the 1967 borders, in his speech at AIPAC? All of these difficult issues will be at the heart of the G8 Summit, which will discuss many items, but will not be able to solve many problems!
