Partnership for Progress and Reform. Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa

Transcription

1 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa

2 Ministry of Foreign Affairs Asiatisk Plads 2 DK-1448 Copenhagen K Tel.: Fax.: um@um.dk Internet: ISBN (printed version) ISBN (e-version) Cover: Al-Hosseini Mosque in Amman, Jordan. Photo: J.F. Raga

3 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 1 Foreword We all remember precisely where we were on 11 September 2001 when we got the news of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington. Very few of us could have had the ability to imagine the nature of the blind hatred against the West, and against the USA in particular, lying behind this terror. The period following 11 September 2001 apart from resolute, worldwide action against terrorism has given food for thought in both the Arab World and the West. We have known extremism and terrorism for centuries. What is new is that there would seem to be an attempt to mobilise Muslims all over the world for a war against Western civilisation. 11 September was to mark the start of a global clash of civilisations, but this must not succeed. The West and the Arab World must not let terrorism write our history. It must be written by the majority who see common characteristics rather than differences and possibilities rather than conflicts. Among the common characteristics is the populations wish to live in peace, prosperity and freedom. Among the possibilities is to enter a partnership between the West and the Arab World to fulfil this wish. A partnership for reform and progress with the Arab World that will benefit all of us. This is, in essence, what the Government s Partnership for Progress and Reform is all about. Royal Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, March 2005 Per Stig Møller Minister for Foreign Affairs

4 2 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa Increased dialogue and cooperation with the Middle East a priority for the Danish Government The Middle East as neighbour Danish interests The Government places the relationship to the Arab World and Iran high on its foreign policy agenda. Developments in North Africa, the Middle East, the Gulf and Iran have a direct influence on important issues in Europe. Together with the Roadmap for Peace in the Middle East, the Partnership for Progress and Reform constitutes the cornerstone of the Danish Government s policy for the region. The enlargement of the EU and NATO implies that the Arab countries have become our neighbours, thus increasing the potential and need for mutual dialogue and cooperation. Denmark and the EU have a clear interest in our new neighbours south and east of the Mediterranean developing economically and politically in peace and stability. Peaceful development marked by welfare and freedom in the Arab World is a fundamental prerequisite for long-term solutions to a number of cross-border issues. There are several problems and challenges that can only be solved by the EU and the Arab states in close cooperation. The continued threat of terrorism from radical Islamists in both the Arab countries and Europe is obviously high on the agenda. Illegal immigration

5 Sana a, Yemen. / Photo: Ignasi Rovira Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 3 to the EU from and through the countries of North Africa is another problem that must be solved by means of joint efforts. Fruitful cooperation to solve joint problems and develop common potentials can only be established on the basis of mutual respect, tolerance and understanding of the historical and current framework conditions for development in the individual countries and regions. The Arab countries are mindful of the need to modernise and reform their societies. The Arab Human Development Reports from 2002 and 2003, published by the United Nations Development Programme and written by a team of Arab researchers and political analysts, conclude that positive development in the Arab countries is being halted by three critical deficits: freedom, women s empowerment and human capabilities and knowledge relative to income. The task of the surrounding world is therefore to support the Arab governments own reform and modernisation efforts, including the development of civil society. This endeavour must take place alongside active efforts to promote a permanent and just negotiated settlement of the Israeli-Arab conflict. This conflict is still the most important single barrier to increased regional cooperation in the Arab World. It also creates a direct and indirect basis for terrorism, in the region and abroad. However, the conflict should not be allowed to stand in the way of possible cooperation efforts and modernisation processes. Modernisation, reforms and regional cooperation in the Arab World are in any case prerequisites for the kind of progress needed to diminish risks of terror and clashes of civilisations.

6 4 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa Partnership for Progress and Reform a long-term effort The Government s Partnership for Progress and Reform follows a multiprong strategy, the long-term objective of which is stability and peace based on freedom and welfare in the EU s neighbouring countries south and east of the Mediterranean. In 2003 the Danish Government launched the Partnership for Progress and Reform as part of a new vision for Danish foreign policy, formulated in A Changing World. The Government s Vision for New Priorities in Denmark s Foreign Policy. The initiative aims at establishing the necessary basis for wider dialogue with the countries in the Middle Eastern region, from Morocco in the west to Iran in the east. A further objective is to support local forces in these countries that are working for reforms that will make the societies more free and democratic. The Government considers democracy, good governance, compliance with human rights and gender equality to be preconditions for peaceful and prosperous development. The fundamental human rights are absolute and universal and nothing can justify their systematic violation. At the same time it is acknowledged that forms of government can and must develop peacefully and gradually in relation to local history, tradition and culture. There is no single recipe for democratic development in the Arab World and Iran. The starting points as well as the outcomes of every process of development will always be those of each of the nations involved. It is important to stress that the Government s Partnership for Progress and Reform is intended to be a long-term effort. The mutual trust that is the cornerstone of any open and constructive dialogue takes time to SPAIN TUNISIA MOROCCO GAZA/ ALGERIA LIBYA MAURETANIA MALI NIGER TCHAD

7 Demonstrators for peace in Amman, Jordan. Photo: Mogens Blom Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 5 build. Furthermore, most often reforms do not follow a linear track upwards and onwards. There must be room for adversity without Denmark and the surrounding world becoming discouraged. The Government s Partnership for Progress and Reform has two tracks one bilateral and one multilateral. A Danish Partnership Programme has been established as the bilateral track. The programme supports concrete projects and activities that can further reform processes in the Arab countries and Iran and contribute to increasing dialogue and cooperation between Denmark and these countries. The multilateral track encompasses three areas of activity. First, the Government is making active efforts to strengthen the EU strategy for reforms in the Middle East and to promote the political dialogue between the EU and the Arab countries. Second, the Government is seeking to contribute to the creation of a forum for regional cooperation in the Middle East that can deal with questions of peace, security, dialogue and development in the whole region. Third, active contributions are being made to the development of NATO s cooperation and dialogue with the Middle East in the military and security policy field. TURKEY ARMENIA ASER- BAJDSJAN TURKMENISTAN LEBANON ISRAEL EST BANK SYRIA IRAQ IRAN AFGHANISTAN EGYPT JORDAN KUWAIT BAHRAIN QATAR PAKISTAN SAUDI-ARABIA OMAN UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ERITREA YEMEN SUDAN

8 The Lotfollah Mosque in Esfahan, Iran. / Photo: Bruno Morandi 6 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa

9 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 7 The Danish bilateral initiative focus and concrete activities The Danish Partnership Programme With the Danish Partnership Programme, the Government has created an operative foreign policy instrument that gives Denmark the possibility to actively support progressive governments and civil society organisations in the Arab World and Iran. The Government s overall goal with the Danish Partnership Programme is to support reforms and progress in the Arab countries and Iran and promote political dialogue between parties in these countries and Denmark 1. These two objectives are seen as two sides of the same coin, and projects under the Danish Partnership Programme will all have activities that underpin the objectives of reform and dialogue. This implies that the vast majority of the activities under the programme will be developed and carried out in partnerships between Danish and Arab organisations. From 2004 the Government has allocated up to DKK 100 million (approximately 13.4 million Euros) annually to finance activities under the Danish Partnership Programme. Support for reforms The countries own reform agendas, women s rights, free media, democracy and human rights are in focus. Taking a point of departure in the solid work of analysis in the Arab Human Development Reports, the Government is focusing on three subobjectives that form the basis of regional initiatives and the bilateral cooperation with individual countries. Crosscutting objectives will thus be to further: women s rights and development possibilities, free, independent and professional media, democratisation and respect for and protection of human rights. There are, however, great differences between the individual Arab countries history, wishes and point of departure for implementing reforms. For this reason, further objectives and strategic approaches are being formulated for the bilateral initiatives in cooperation with relevant partners in the individual countries. This is taking place on the basis of fundamental analyses of reform processes and the identification of actors who work 1 In the first instance the Danish Partnership Programme does not include activities in Iraq, Israel and the Palestinian Territories, which are covered by separate cooperation programmes.

10 8 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa An Internet Café, Yemen. / Photo: Lars-Henrik Worsøe for reform, compared with the possibilities of Danish partners for making a constructive contribution to these endeavours. The point of departure is dialogue with the Middle Eastern governments and offers of bilateral cooperation. Broad bilateral cooperation programmes are in preparation in a number of countries. They are based on the governments desire for reform and modernisation and will often comprise both government cooperation and support to civil society. Some governments have shown only limited interest in entering into closer dialogue and cooperation with Denmark. In these cases the Partnership Programme will start off modestly with a few confidence building measures and projects, the purpose of which is to intensify the dialogue with the government. This does not, however, prevent some national civil society organisations from being interested in cooperating with Danish organisations. Accordingly, Denmark can support the dialogue and cooperation between regional or international organisations and the Middle Eastern countries. Strategies and sub-objectives for the Partnership Programme depend on the existing possibilities for supporting reform friendly developments. The success of the programme will therefore depend on the ability to continuously analyse the developments in the Middle Eastern societies in order to identify new paths as well as blind alleys or wrong tracks. To manage this demanding task, Denmark will post advisers as part of its regional and bilateral initiatives to cooperate with Danish embassies on entering extensive dialogue with the authorities and other relevant actors about future developments of the programme 2. 2 Denmark has embassies in Algiers, Cairo, Damascus, Riyadh and Teheran as well as in Baghdad, Tel Aviv and Ramallah (representative office).

11 The Danish Institute in Damascus, Syria. / Photo: Lars-Henrik Worsøe Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 9 Promotion of political dialogue The programme provides an opening for enhanced dialogue at all levels between two worlds. The general objective of promoting political dialogue between parties in the Middle Eastern countries and Denmark will be pursued along two paths: First, as the term indicates, the Partnership Programme is to be carried out in partnerships between Danish organisations and institutions on the one hand and their Arab counterparts on the other. This leads to natural dialogue on questions of reform between Danish and Arab authorities, parliaments, NGOs, and civil society organisations involved in the implementation of the Partnership Programme. Second, support is granted to individual projects that have dialogue as their primary objective, dialogue with a view to dismantling mutual stereotypes and increasing mutual understanding and tolerance. Where dialogue in partnerships between sister organisations will often be characterised by mutual agreement and a common world view, it is the intention that the dialogue projects proper are to diminish clashes of opinion and create contacts across divisions which would not necessarily have been crossed otherwise. This applies to the establishment of the Danish- Egyptian Dialogue Institute in Cairo and it applies to the development of a regional youth programme, which aims to promote contact between committed young people from the Arab World and Denmark. At the same time, the Government hopes that the activities in both areas can play a part in expanding the group of Danes who, with insight and experience, will be able to represent Denmark as qualified cooperation partners for our Arab neighbours.

12 10 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa The implementation of the Partnership Programme The Partnership Programme is to be implemented via national, regional and international organisations and institutions. Support for reform efforts, conducted by national organisations and institutions, is the foundation of the Partnership Programme. The partners will be carefully selected and support will most frequently take the form of partnerships with Danish sister organisations. The Government also emphasises supporting regional networks, structures and organisations in the Arab countries. The great variety of the region and its widely different experiences of reforms, combined with a strong cultural and political spirit of fellowship, provide rich opportunities for mutual inspiration, exchange of experience and counselling in connection with reform processes. By virtue of their neutral and independent status, some international organisations have achieved special access to key reform processes in the Arab countries. This applies to the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in particular. The Partnership Programme will coordinate activities with relevant international organisations and, in certain cases, channel support through these organisations. Taking stock of the development of the Partnership Programme Cooperation initiated with Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Yemen in Algeria, Morocco and Syria follow in In recognition of Denmark s limited experience of cooperation in the Arab World, the Government regards the first two years of the Danish Partnership Programme as a pilot phase during which Danish organisations can form networks with relevant actors, establish the necessary presence in key cooperation countries, and gain preliminary experience with cooperation partners. As already mentioned, achieving the goals of the programme will depend on the ability to continuously follow the development and identify new possibilities for strategic cooperation. This indicates the gradual development of the programme so that the tasks increase in step with the capacity in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and of key Danish partners. At the end of 2004, preliminary projects have been launched in Egypt, Iran, Jordan and Yemen (cf. the fact boxes on p ). During the second year of the pilot phase projects will also be launched in Algeria, Morocco and Syria. In Algeria and Morocco the focus areas are being developed. However, most likely the preliminary focus will be on the area of the labour market and investigating the possibilities for supporting civil society organisations in the field of women and youth. After a follow-up identification mission to Syria in October 2004, it has now been established that the Syrian government is interested in co-

13 First board meeting of the Danish Egyptian Dialogue Institute in Cairo on December 13, Photo: Royal Danish Embassy Cairo Iranians. Photo: Doria Steedman Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 11 A Danish-Egyptian Dialogue Institute has been opened in Egypt. The institute will be contributing to furthering Danish-European-Arab dialogue on questions of current importance for Egypt and the Middle East as well as for Europe, including democratisation, legal reforms, human rights and strengthening civil society. The institute is also to be used in connection with the implementation of other projects under the Partnership for Progress and Reform. The institute, which has a Danish-Egyptian board, is located in Cairo as an independent unit under the Al Ahram Foundation and associated with the Al Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies. At present DKK 20 million has been allocated to the institute for In Iran the Danish Institute for Human Rights has been working with the Islamic Human Rights Commission since 2001 to create the frames for a Danish-Iranian human rights dialogue. Based on positive experience from the introductory phase, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has asked the Danish Institute for Human Rights to continue this dialogue under the Partnership for Progress and Reform. The Institute for Human Rights has simultaneously initiated a project together with, among others, Shahid Behesti University in Teheran. The goal of the project is to strengthen respect for human rights and further the work of Iran s ratification of the UN Convention against Torture. The project is being co-financed with the Netherlands. A total of DKK 3.95 million has been allocated to the dialogue project for , and DKK 580,000 for the same period to the project on torture.

14 Jordan s minister for administrative reforms then in office Dr. Zu bi and the Danish Ombudsman Mr. Hans Gammeltoft-Hansen. Photo: Scanpix 12 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa In Jordan the Ombudsman of the Danish Parliament (Folketing), at the request of the Jordanian government, has given juridical assistance to the Jordanian efforts to establish an ombudsman institution. The culmination to date of the excellent Danish-Jordanian cooperation was a conference held in Jordan in October 2004 at which representatives of the Jordanian government, the parliament, the judiciary, civil society and the media, together with specially invited guests from the rest of the region, had an opportunity to discuss the idea of an ombudsman. They also had the opportunity to ask questions to the Danish, Norwegian, Estonian, Albanian and Moroccan ombudsmen concerning their experiences of the ombudsman institution in widely different political, national and religious contexts. A new ombudsman conference is expected to be convened in autumn 2005, and if the plan of the Jordanian government comes to fruition, the new Jordanian ombudsman will be among the participants. It is hoped that the Jordanian experience will spread to other countries in the region as part of the 2005 conference. The ombudsman institution is an important part of the Jordanian government s reform agenda, which also includes the strengthening of the rights of women and children. In this connection, in cooperation with a number of Danish organisations, support has been given to the Jordanian Family Protection Department, which is the only organisation of its kind in the Arab World to take care of women and children affected by violence. DKK 3.65 million has so far been allocated to the ombudsman project for and DKK 7 million has been allocated to the project on the rights of women and children. operation on support for the modernisation processes that are to be implemented in the country. Syria hopes to soon be able to sign a association agreement with the EU, which will make great demands on Syrian society. The Syrian government is therefore interested in receiving support, among other things in the field of education and in the administrative sector and for developing the private sector. The regional initiatives include, at present, a regional media programme coordinated by the organisation International Media Support. The activities will be carried out by Danish, international and Arab media

15 The district government s headquarters in Sayun, Yemen. Photo: Mogens Blom Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 13 In Yemen agreement has been reached with the Yemeni government on a programme with five main themes: democracy development and parliamentarism, decentralisation and local participation, compliance with human rights, women s rights, and a free press. Specific projects are in preparation and involve a number of Danish institutions and NGOs. A delegation from the Danish parliament has visited Yemen to establish a partnership with the Yemeni parliament. The Danish School of Journalism is supporting the development of a media programme that involves state as well as private media. The National Association of Local Authorities is contributing to the development of a project aimed at supporting municipal reform in Yemen. In addition, the Danish Association for International Cooperation (MS), the Red Cross and the Danish Institute for Human Rights are involved in preparing support in the area of human rights. Finally, an agreement has been reached with a British NGO and a Danish partner to implement a large-scale project aimed at women s rights, focusing on violence against women, early marriages, and women s access to the labour market. At present, DKK 4.28 million has been allocated to the media programme for , DKK 3.9 million to the Danish Red Cross s capacity building of Yemen s Red Crescent for and DKK 8.2 million to the project on women s rights for In addition, an allocation of DKK 3 million is anticipated for parliamentary cooperation over two-three years and an allocation of DKK 10 million for the decentralisation project for organisations in close cooperation. Some of the objectives are to strengthen Arab journalists associations, to produce joint children s TV programmes, and to promote the professional skills of Arab journalists. A regional youth programme is being developed and pilot projects under this programme will be launched during The possibility of developing a regional human rights programme is also being examined and there are tentative plans for a regional women s programme that will cover North Africa in the first instance.

16 14 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa The Danish multilateral initiative focus and concrete activities The EU s Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East In 2003 the Government launched the idea of an overall strategy for the EU s relations with the Middle East. It is the objective of the Government to further and develop the EU s support for reforms in the Middle East and to strengthen the political dialogue between the EU and the Arab countries and Iran. At the European Council in Thessalonica in June 2003 Denmark succeeded in creating support for a Nordic-Baltic proposal for partnership for progress and reform with countries in the Middle East. In autumn 2003 Denmark participated

17 Egyptian bedouins with mobile phone and laptop in the Sahara. / Photo: H. Sitton Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 15 actively in drawing up a report on the development of the relations between the EU and the Arab countries and Iran. The report formed the basis for the further work of the EU on reforms in the region. Following a number of consultations with the Middle Eastern countries in the first half of 2004, including visits by the Danish Minister for Foreign Affairs to Jordan, Egypt and Syria, in June 2004 the European Council adopted the EU s Strategic Partnership with the Mediterranean and the Middle East. Thereby the work of the Danish initiative was completed in the form of a new strategic framework for future EU reform cooperation with the Middle East. The considerable difference in the nature and scope of the EU s existing cooperation with the Mediterranean countries and the Gulf region, respectively, implies that the implementation of the Strategic Partnership will be different for the two sub-regions. The EU s Mediterranean cooperation already consists of a number of different activities in the form of the

18 16 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa Barcelona Process (cf. facts box), whereas cooperation with the Gulf states is only in its infancy. This is why most energy is now devoted to developing the latter cooperation. In the case of the Gulf, there is at present an ongoing dialogue on possible new forms of cooperation with both governments and civil society actors. The idea is to develop country-specific action plans and regional initiatives. Simultaneously, talks concerning a trade agreement between the EU and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have advanced far and can possibly be completed in the immediate future. The EU s cooperation with the Mediterranean countries is already well developed through association agreements and the Barcelona Process. Therefore, the implementation of the EU s Strategic Partnership in the Mediterranean will primarily take place through the adjustment and focusing of the existing initiatives based on the political priorities in the EU s Strategic Partnership. The Government will continue its active engagement of supporting reform agendas in the Arab World through the further implementation of the EU s Strategic Partnership. This is a long-term process, which is to be evaluated for the first time at the European Council in June The The Barcelona Process was launched in November 1995 in order to create closer cooperation between the EU member states and the other Mediterranean countries. Today there are 35 members of the Barcelona Process the 25 EU member states and 10 partner countries: Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan, Syria, Lebanon and Turkey. Libya is an observer. The Barcelona Process consists of three broad areas of cooperation ( chapters ): The political and security area The economic, trade and development area The social, cultural and human area The Barcelona Process is unique in that it is the only regional forum in which Israel and the eight Arab Mediterranean countries participate. The greatest success of the Barcelona Process is that association agreements have been entered between the EU and every single partner country. The aim is to gradually develop a large free trade zone between the 35 countries. In addition, the Process has been a frame for the EU s extensive development assistance to the partners. With the establishment of the Anna Lindh Foundation for the Dialogue between Cultures in 2005, the Barcelona Process is taking a big step towards better understanding of one another s cultures, civilisations and religions.

19 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 17 Election day in Damascus. / Photo: Doug Scott

20 18 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa primary ambition, at this stage, is to develop closer cooperation between the EU and the Gulf states and to further develop the reform agenda in the EU s existing Mediterranean cooperation. In connection with the development of the EU s framework for future assistance to the region, Denmark will also actively promote the incorporation of the reform agenda and political incentives in a manner that prioritises reform friendly countries in the region when EU assistance is provided. Framework for regional cooperation and security in the Middle East The Government is supporting an ambitious endeavour to promote a regional framework for cooperation and security in the Middle East. There is an obvious need to develop a regional forum for cooperation that can deal with questions of peace, security, dialogue and development in the Middle Eastern region. With support from the Danish Government, a number of researchers, parliamentarians and government officials from the Middle East, North Africa, Europe, the USA and Canada have drawn up a first draft of a regional charter for cooperation and security in the Middle East. The charter was completed at a seminar in Copenhagen 3-4 October 2003, at which Denmark pledged support for the further process. The idea behind the charter is to establish a regional dialogue on economic, social and security issues. As well as the countries directly affected, other countries of importance for the region will be able to join in this cooperation. Inspiration for the charter was found in, for example, the UN charter and existing regional cooperation organisations such as ASEAN, the EU, OSCE and OAS. It is an important precondition for the realisation of regional cooperation that the initiative originates and is anchored in the countries of the region. It is, thus, not a question of a European or Western initiative. The most important thing is to set a regional process in motion that by means of the requisite political engagement can create the framework for more regular dialogue. At the seminar in Copenhagen there was broad agreement that the time had come to examine the political interest in the concept. Denmark and Canada were urged to present the ideas at official level to the countries in the region. A number of Danish and Canadian consultations in the region in spring 2004 showed that there is interest in carrying the work forward, although in the first instance the charter will be put aside in order to discuss the broader concepts for cooperation and security in the region. However, all of the countries visited acknowledge the need for a framework for regional cooperation and security and show significant interest in the charter. A number of countries in the Mediterranean and the Gulf region have indicated that they wish to play a special role in the further work

21 Partnership for Progress and Reform Denmark, the Middle East and North Africa 19 together with Canada and Denmark. There is now concentration on developing the project among regional research institutions and think tanks associated with governments. A number of seminars are being prepared for 2005 in cooperation with a consortium of four important institutions in the region. The long-term aim is still to involve government representatives and continue the process at government level. NATO s cooperation with the Arab World Denmark actively contributes to furthering NATO cooperation and dialogue with the Arab World. At the NATO summit in Istanbul June 2004, there was agreement to accord higher priority to NATO s cooperation with the Middle East. It was decided to expand the existing NATO Mediterranean Dialogue (with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Mauritania and Tunisia) and to establish a corresponding new cooperation framework with the other Middle Eastern countries (Istanbul Cooperation Initiative). NATO s cooperation with the Middle East will have a practical orientation and will be based on NATO s military competencies, including defence reforms, fighting terrorism, exercise and training activities, combating the spread of weapons of mass destruction, border security and civil defence. The cooperation will be open to all interested countries, based on an individual approach with freedom of choice concerning the extent of the cooperation. The concrete effort of developing NATO cooperation with the Middle East has been launched, and Denmark is carefully considering how to make an active contribution to the further process, possibly with a point of departure in Danish expertise from work in Eastern Europe under the Partnership for Peace programme. At present Denmark has entered a strategic partnership with Spain to strengthen NATO s Mediterranean Dialogue. The long perspective The Partnership for Progress and Reform is a long-term endeavour. Denmark and the EU can actively support reform movements in the Middle East, but the fundamental modernization impulse has to stem from governments and civil society actors in the region. There are no short cuts to democratisation and sustainable reforms. The efforts require dialogue, engagement and patience. The support for progressive reforms in the Arab World and the development of closer relations between Denmark, Europe and the Middle Eastern region are vital foreign policy challenges of today and will remain so in the future. The Danish Government is committed to continue its engagement for peace, development and cooperation in the Middle East. We owe that to our Arab neighbours and we owe that to ourselves.

22 Det Arabiske Initiativ 21 School board in Cairo: Reading Protects The marking [mankind] From The dangers of Ignorance. The Danish Partnership for Progress and Reform Production January 2005 Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs Cover Designgrafik Design Designgrafik after original by Thorup Grafik Printing Schultz Grafisk Further copies can be requested from denmark.dk s internet bookstore on or by telephone on 1881 (from Denmark) and (from abroad) ISBN (printed version) ISBN (e-version)