A VISION OF THE MIDDLE EAST
Presented by
Dr. Yossi Beilin
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs
Head of the Israeli Delegation to the
Steering Committee of the Multilateral Peace Talks
Tokyo, December 15, 1993
Two years have passed since the Madrid Conference and the commencement
of the bilateral peace process in the Middle East. During these two
years, the Middle East has undergone important changes. At the heart of
the Arab-Israeli conflict, Israel and the Palestinians have gone beyond
a point of no return, moving toward reconciliation, toward negotiation,
toward compromise between the Government of Israel and the P.L.O., based
on a Declaration of Principles. At the same time, we have broken ground
on an agreed process of negotiation between Israel and the Kingdom of
Jordan that will lead to an enduring peace.
We are certain that a process of negotiation between Israel and Syria
and Lebanon will soon be successfully realized. The discordant thunder
of war and hostility will fade as we advance toward an era of peace in
the Middle East.
In light of these impressive developments, we may say that the
inhabitants of the Middle East are partners in a collective historic
experiment: a passage from enmity to peace and cooperation. As
threatening perceptions of five or more decades shatter, the peoples of
the region are gradually becoming accustomed to the inclusion of Israel
as a permanent member of the Middle East community.
Since the Gulf conflict, and in the new world order that has arisen
since the dismantling of the Iron Curtain, most of the nations of the
Middle East and their leaders have come to understand that national
security interests are best promoted by a shift away from exclusive
dependence on militaristic force.
This enlightened comprehension is the foundation of our vision. Peace is
just ahead of us on the horizon. We can make it materialize into a
concrete reality, one step at a time.
In contrast to the emergence of normalization in the Israeli-Arab
relationship, expressed in important policy statements on the bilateral
and multilateral fronts and in international organizations, there looms
the threat of violence and terror.
The historic event of September 13, 1993, with the mutual recognition
between Israel and PLO, gave hope to those who aspire for peace, but
also incited those who oppose it, who chose to fight the spirit of
conciliation with acts of terror. Terror in the Middle East is supported
by religious fanaticism and by political radicalism. It endangers the
internal stability of the nations in the region and the external
stability of their international relations. We must unite to act against
this threat.
The success of the peace process depends on two factors: First, we must
conduct the process at a pace which will assure its immediate visibility
in the field.
The nations of the region must be able to perceive the dwindling of the
animosity and distrust and the establishment of a new climate of
relations to prime and reinforce the collective hope for peace. The
dialogue must move forward, the sides must reach constructive
compromises, and new policy conceptions must be set in place. This is
the task of the bilateral track.
Secondly, we must ignite the initiation of a process of regional
cooperation in the Middle East: cooperation with the goal of
establishing a basis for a shared existence as we come to terms with
shared problems and work together to find solutions to regional
challenges such as refugees, water, economic growth, disarmament, and
environmental issues. It is important that the states in the region
arrive at conclusions quickly; peace serves the authentic interests of
all the inhabitants of the Middle East, in the most real and substantive
terms.
This is our vision for the Middle East: Open borders, economic
cooperation leading to economic growth, free movement of persons,
products and services across borders.
We are moving in the direction of normalized relations among the states
of the region for the best interests of those who live in the Middle
East, and for optimum integration of economic and political endeavors to
benefit all the nations of the Middle East.
We envision the emergence of a network of regional contacts. It will
begin with infrastructure: highways, flight paths and seaways, water
pipelines and electricity grids spread out in a web uniting us from east
to west and from north to south. It will continue in the establishment
of mechanisms for consultation and design of development projects.
Inhabitants of the region will live a life of freedom freedom from
obstacles, ostracism, and political coercion, free from the threat of
violence and terror. They will be free to travel and to trade, to
develop joint ventures and to utilize together the potential of the
region, to the benefit of all. This is the best surety for an enduring
peace.
Shared development will bring about a revolutionary growth in tourism in
the Middle East, growth in mutual trade among the states in the region,
and the expansion of trade with the rest of the world. Cooperation can
lead to aggressive action in preserving the quality of our natural
environment, a benefit to the region and to all of our earth.
Economic ebb and flow will bring prosperity to the inhabitants of the
region, and prosperity is the means of neutralizing the violent
incitement of radical factions. Despair is a breeding ground for wrath
and frustration, but economic security can foster tranquillity as it
leads to rejection of terror.
Prosperity will stamp out the combustive atmosphere that leads to wars.
It will counterbalance the threats against societies and governments in
the states of the Middle East. Prosperity will enhance the flourishing
of human and civic rights. It will foster economic and political
stability throughout the region, gradually leading to disarmament and a
balance of weapons in the Middle East. As we achieve the status of a
region free from nuclear weapons and remove the threat of weapons of
mass destruction, we will re-orient our interests and strengthen our
ties to the world around us.
The spirit of regional cooperation permits a frank assessment of
reality: The economies of the Middle East differ from each other. Some
are wealthy in fuel resources, others lack such resources. Some are
industrialized or partially industrialized, some are
post-industrialized, others are based on agriculture. These differences
add to the difficulty of developing mutual trade, and the confluence of
economies may develop in undesirable directions, widening the gaps
instead of bringing us together.
We must also join forces in facing other societal challenges. The threat
of a population explosion and social polarities can cause instability.
We must aspire to create modes of living in our region that will
encourage moderation.
The vision we describe here is ambitious, but it can be realized. We
must first be prepared to implement modest projects, through each of our
working groups, that do not require enormous investment or long-term
changes.
The centrality of regional economic cooperation to the design of the new
Middle East is clear: The establishment of a new climate to encourage
private entrepreneurs and investment concerns to work toward the growth
of the Middle Eastern economy. We look forward to the establishment of
joint ventures that will utilize the human resources and knowledge to
expand commercial exchange among the countries of the region, and that
will reach out from the region to the industrialized economies in North
America, in Europe and in Asia, and to Africa and Latin America.
In the first stage, removal of the artificial barriers and cancellation
of the boycotts will allow development of tourism, direct communications
and the commencement of an ongoing commercial and economic dialogue.
We will be able to coordinate plans for infrastructure development
(roads, electricity grids, telecommunications, et al.) in each state.
This will lay the basis for interconnection throughout the region in the
second phase.
The dearth of water has always led to dispute. The Middle East is not
blessed with an abundance of water. In the next generation, the
population of the region is expected to double. The demand for water
will drastically increase to an estimated billion cubic meters per year
over current requirements. We envision cooperation for the creation of
the required quantity of water. Regional water management will allow
optimum utilization of existing water sources according to the varied
needs of all, supplemented by implementing advanced technologies for
creating enough water to meet the demands of the region's population.
Our objective is to be able to provide water on demand to all according
to their economic requirements.
In the first phase, we will augment the present capability of storing
and protecting existing water sources. The nations of the region will
recycle sewage water into potable water, refurbish pipelines, and expand
practical research of potential water sources.
In the second phase, we will be able to desalinate and transport large
quantities of water, a revolutionary process in the Middle East.
.../.
In order to maintain a suitable quality of life and natural environment,
we will consolidate a code of environmental behavior that will guarantee
balanced and sustainable utilization of regional ground, water, and air
resources. We will work together against the threats to our quality of
life: dwindling resources, desertification, population growth,
accelerated and uncontrolled economic growth, and rapid urban
development. We will cultivate and protect the ecological uniqueness and
the historical legacy nurtures and enriches our cultural values and
attracts tourism in our region. In the first stage, we will create
mechanisms for coordination and awareness in the event of pollution and
ecological damage.
As inhabitants of the Middle East, we are the ones who will reap the
benefits of a protected natural environment.
The issue of refugees is one of the most difficult challenges that arose
from the Middle East conflict. We will bring an end to the problem,
which is rooted in the history of hostile relations in the region. We
will find an appropriate response to alleviate the conditions created by
the situation and we will create a viable solution that will be suitable
for all.
Our vision is to allow all refugees the possibility for prosperity,
health, education, professional growth and quality of life, and complete
absorption into the region.
In the first stage, we will work to create appropriate living conditions
for refugees: homes and improved sewage, water and electricity systems.
This activity, as well as the establishment of modest industry, will
also aid in creating sources of income.
We hope that the developments in the region will bring about a reduction
in armies, arrest the arms race, and remove the danger of war as we move
toward peace. With the development of normalized relations, we hope to
establish a region free of missiles, of chemical, biological, and
nuclear weapons, with a mutual inspection authority composed of all the
states in the region. The activity of the Regional Security and Arms
Control Working Group will enhance the security of all the states of the
region, guaranteeing each state freedom from the threat to its integral
existence. In the first stage we must focus on building trust and
choosing confidence-building measures that will contribute to stability
and to the easing of tensions.
In each of the five working groups, we face exciting possibilities based
on cooperation among the states of the Middle East, with support and
assistance within the region and throughout the world.
We have a goal: The creation of a Middle East of cooperation and
harmony, with the chance to advance economic and societal goals on a
shared infrastructure that will assure the prosperity of all the
inhabitants of the region, of their peoples and of their states, and
will bring about the hoped-for historic conciliation.
This is our vision of a new Middle East. Achievement of this vision is
the decisive task of the multilateral track of the peace process. We are
gathered here in Tokyo to steer the ongoing work that will turn our
vision into reality.
Regional Economic Cooperation
An enduring peace in the Middle East will flourish in response to two
parallel and essential efforts: On the one hand, removal of the
atmosphere of hostility and political and military enmity. On the other,
we must solidify a policy base for our markets that will enable us to
establish regional economic cooperation among the countries in the
Middle East.
The wars we endured over the past five decades, and the wars still
underway in our region, used up enormous assets. We estimate that since
1948, war and armaments used up 600 billion dollars of the region's
currency reserves. There is no doubt of a direct connection between the
investment of enormous sums in fostering an atmosphere of purposeless
hostility and the fact that our region remains economically
under-developed.
Resources that were diverted to support militaries and purchase arms
were thus not available for the development of national and regional
economic infrastructure, on both sides of the conflict. All the
inhabitants of the region paid the price.
During the time that the Middle East was plunged into war and its
accompanying waste of resources, the economies of peace in Europe and in
Asia were advancing in giant steps. Japan and Germany are leading
examples of the benefits of peace. In the past decade, China has emerged
from its past ideological and economic isolation and the Cold War and is
progressing toward an era of renewed prosperity. Countries with similar
trends include Korea, Singapore and Taiwan, and they have recently been
joined by other countries in Southeast Asia, including Thailand,
Malaysia, Indonesia, and Vietnam.
A common characteristic among all these countries is the complete
absence of an atmosphere of hostility on the one hand, and, on the other
hand, economic cooperation. This vision is a worthy goal for the Middle
East.
Cooperation can change the present characteristics of our regional
economic relations as well as our relations with the rest of the world.
We can increase regional trade, which at present constitutes only 7% of
local GNP, and we can encourage economic cooperation between the Middle
East and major economic blocs. This cooperation is necessary to achieve
significant economic improvement.
How can we use peace to stimulate regional development?
There are many possibilities:
* Peace will bring about a reduction in the need for arms in
countries that were involved in the conflict. It will aid in
reducing the armaments which were required for mutual deterrence
within the Arab world. Billions of dollars will become available
for necessary economic development in industrialization,
modernization of infrastructure, and the concurrent rise in the
quality of life.
* Peace will topple artificial barriers that were put up in an era of
hostility. Instead, peace will reinforce the base underneath:
Opening transportation connections, air travel and maritime
relations, telecommunications; and the establishment of efficient
and simplified border crossing for goods and services.
* A Middle East without hostility, terror, or political agitation
will attract outside investment. World financial markets welcome
investment opportunities. The Middle East will be an appealing
opportunity for foreign investment, suited to the strategic
interests of the United States, Europe and Japan.
The lack of stability that characterized recent decades inhibited
potential foreign investors. The stability that will come with
peace will remove the hesitation and will bring welcome investment.
* A peaceful Middle East will foster joint investment initiatives
among the states in the region in many spheres of infrastructure:
Interconnection of the region's electricity grids will optimize
production and save the markets of the region hundreds of millions
of dollars.
A combined transportation infrastructure will reduce costs of
transportation and shipping for all users in the region.
Interconnection of the telecommunications infrastructure will
substantively reduce the costs of expanding the system and the
introduction of new communication grids into the region.
* Peace in the Middle East will allow trilateral cooperation on
projects related to infrastructure, industry, agriculture,
transportation, tourism, energy, water and science. For example, we
believe that we can combine the accumulated knowledge in the
region's academic and technological institutions into a basis for
establishing high technology industries.
Another example is tourism: Europe's distinctive advantage in this field
is the coordinated effort among the countries. Our region has a wealth
of important attractions for visitors, in fields including recreation,
nature and, especially, sacred sites that are a magnet for followers of
great religions. Opening the borders will enrich us all, spiritually and
culturally as well as economically, natives and visitors alike.
Economic growth in the Middle East, a dividend of peace, will bring
substantial benefits to the countries in the region. Stronger economies
will lead to stability, in terms of policy and politics. The Middle
East's work force will no longer be forced to look for work on distant
continents. Extremist and fundamentalist forces, who threaten
governments and societies, will lose their power.
We will turn a new page in the economic history of the Middle East.
Bilateral agreements between us will lead to the establishment of
bilateral frameworks for economic cooperation in trade, tourism,
infrastructure, transportation, maritime trade, air links, finance,
industry, energy, communications and agriculture.
Beyond the bilateral agreements, we will establish a framework for
regional economic cooperation that will guarantee free transfer of
goods, persons and services throughout the Middle East, from Morocco to
the Gulf.
The framework will allow consultation at senior policy levels that will
assure the mutual interests of the countries of the Middle East and
represent them to the industrialized world's major economic bodies.
Together we will define goals and priorities, so we may commence a
process of economic development and modernize the economy of the Middle
East into an industrial stronghold in the fields of high technology and
services. High-tech and advanced service industries are the industries
that lead the successful world economies and they are within reach of
the countries of the Middle East. Service and industrial economies will
bring benefits to those who live in the region's rapidly-growing cities
as well as provide sources of income for those who work in agricultural
fields. In a combined effort, we can convert the Middle East from a
region that imports most of its food and industrial products to a region
that exports and leads world industry.
We will formulate policy that will translate the geostrategic centrality
of the Middle East between Europe and Africa and Asia, into an economic
asset and an incentive for future growth. Routes for trade, air links,
credit and financial services can bring the Middle East back to its
ancient glory as a worldwide bazaar with modern capabilities, many of
which are yet to be utilized.
Water
The greater part of the Middle East region is covered by desert, and
throughout history, has suffered a dearth of water. Water and the
shortage of water have led to many wars and much destruction over the
years. We must, therefore, act together to find new sources of water, to
increase the amount of water available to those who demand it in the
region. We estimate that in two decades the population of the Middle
East will double, and the demand for water in the region will increase
by approximately one billion cubic meters per year. Any present plans
for allocating existing water resources are not relevant for the future:
We must focus and combine all our powers and resources in an effort to
solve future problems of water by creating new water sources.
The effort to increase the sources of water in the Middle East calls for
a combined scientific, technological and policy effort.
Scientific and technological information on increasing water sources
exists: Desalination of sea, brackish and waste water can be attained.
In the first phase, we will concentrate on purifying waste water and
using recycled water for agricultural use. We will also work on
increasing rainfall and implementation of technologies to save water in
agriculture, and surveying and research of aquifers that are not yet
utilized.
We will also work to achieve progress in meteorological research,
forecasting of rain, storms and floods, and will insure shared ecology
control.
At the same time, we will refurbish obsolete water transport systems,
which can waste up to 70% of the water, so that they can be utilized
efficiently.
The joint development of all these efforts requires financing: We need
regional and external coordinated and combined action to obtain the
required funding for establishing the water resources needed for our
region.
The question we face is not how we will obtain more water. The question
is at what price it can be obtained, and how we will be able to attract
the investment and production resources that are necessary for
establishing a regional water infrastructure.
The answer lies in proper policy. The countries of the Middle East must
organize to build the policy and organizational foundation that can
implement relevant decisions.
* Our goal is to establish principles for regional cooperation, to
seek and administer water resources, current and new, for the
benefit of all the inhabitants of the region.
* We must all agree that each individual in the Middle East is
entitled to receive the required amount of water, at a fair and
reasonable cost, no matter what the source of the water. We must
agree that nations and states do not have rights over water, and
they cannot deny water to neighboring nations and states. Nations
and states which were not blessed with an abundance of natural
sources of water will receive the quantities they require through
increasing the volume of available water in a regional cooperative
effort, using existing science and technology to increase available
water.
* The Core Regional Parties in this multilateral process share
hydraulic resources. This group will establish a coordination
mechanism to formulate agreements and coordination on aspects
related to administration of current and new water resources in the
region.
* We can establish systematic academic cooperation among the various
capitals of the Middle East for the purpose of training
professional personnel in technological, scientific and management
spheres. This work force will gradually integrate into the regional
water institutions and will provide the regional water
administration a solid professional backing with unified concepts
and unified goals.
* Systematic academic cooperation will also respond to various
ecological aspects of water use, including drilling, desalination
plants, rainfall increase and others, as well as providing a
framework for scientific research activity on environmental issues,
such as water use.
* Providing water to those who require it is an issue of policy,
economics and science. Through regional policy cooperation, we can
use existing scientific technologies to provide water to those who
require it at reasonable cost.
We envision regional cooperation in an effort to increase sources of
water to benefit all the inhabitants of our region.
Environment
The "Rio Declaration," ratified by the United Nations Conference on
Environment and Development in June 1992, called for a global
partnership of governments and nations for the common cause of
protecting the environment. The Declaration states that "peace,
development and environmental protection are interdependent and
indivisible."
As in all other aspects of life, the issue of the environment will most
certainly be affected by a passage from an atmosphere of war and
hostility to an atmosphere of peace and cooperation. The enmity rampant
in the Middle East led us to ignore the effects of development on the
environment of our habitat. Countries competed over resources without
considering the need for integrative management of natural resources.
The primary aim of our vision in relation to the environment is progress
on a path of sustainable development, preserving and protecting the
environment and natural resources, and repairing past damage. This
effort can be achieved through regional cooperation based on mutual
consideration, candor, and friendship between nations.
The countries of the region share a number of concerns that call for
action to protect environmental quality:
* Dwindling resources, namely water: Peace will allow us to plan an
effective program for water use and will foster development of
integrative management of our water resources.
* Desertification is another problem with long-ranging consequences.
Only combined effort can effectively combat this challenge and
prevent the encroachment of the desert into lands devoted to
agriculture.
* Population growth and accelerated development: The region is
undergoing economic growth that will accelerate as a result of
peace. It is essential to ensure that this growth will not be
achieved at the cost of damaging the environment, thus damaging the
quality of life for those who live here.
* Ecological uniqueness: This region is home to a number of animal
and plant forms that exist nowhere else on earth. It is blessed
with extraordinary scenery. These must be maintained and preserved.
* Unique historical legacy: The Middle East of ancient times was
called the "Fertile Crescent." It was the cradle of civilization.
We shelter many religious and historical sites that are sacred to
three great religions of humankind, and are hosts to religious
pilgrimage as well as tourists.
We, the nations of the Middle East, must cooperate for preservation of
the natural environment and utilization of resources through sustainable
development, particularly as regards accelerated economic development,
with the aim of ensuring quality of life and environmental quality for
our region.
Together, we can set up conceptual and practical frameworks for
cooperation among nations of the region to protect the environment. We
can adopt an environmental code of conduct for all the countries in the
region.
Representatives of all the states in the region will coordinate a joint
environmental policy, with the aim of upgrading individual and
institutional environmental awareness in all the countries in the
region. They will prepare a response to environmental policy issues in
neighboring countries. They will also represent our region in
international bodies that work toward environmental preservation.
A code of environmental conduct will define direction for environmental
development and legislation. It will provide for systematic and thorough
design and follow-up of environmental protection procedures.
The code will serve as a basis for research and scientific development,
and will set the standards for joint warning mechanisms to identify
irregularities and deal with environmental hazards.
We ought to work together to protect our essential resources:
* Water: Protecting water quality and regional management of present
and future water resources; protection against pollution and
utilization of various sources of water salt water and running
water; saving water in all types of uses (drinking water, industry,
agriculture, tourism); preserving and developing streams and lakes
as assets for recreation and tourism.
* Coastlines: Integrated planning for use of the coastlines, and
establishment of environmental regulations in their economic use as
ports, for industry and for tourism; creating systems to manage
ocean pollution, and preserving the ecological balance of
coastlines.
* Air: Appropriate environmental planning for the ongoing efforts in
energy development; ecological alternatives to present energy
sources (solar, wind, hydraulic); prevention of damage to the
atmosphere.
* Land: Coordinating an action plan to fight desertification;
prevention of pollution from agricultural, industrial and urban
waste, finding uses for recycled waste; clean-up of polluted land.
* Waste: Enacting regulations for management of various solid wastes,
liquids and toxic waste emanating from industrial, urban or
agricultural sources.
* Environment: Integrative policy planning to encourage the use of
products and materials that are friendly to the environment.
* Nature: Coordinated effort to protect natural assets and culture;
protection of animal and plant life, renewing extinct species and
strains; development of recreation.
Cooperation in the sphere of the environment could be based on sharing
problems and a shared search for solutions, and on sharing resources and
acting together to protect and properly utilize them. Therefore, and
heeding the mandate of the Earth Summit to establish a global
partnership, we urge all countries, and particularly the partners in the
region, to cooperate in finding shared solutions for shared problems.
The era of peace in the Middle East will bring, on the one hand, many
advantages in the effort to protect the region's environment, and,
through cooperation among nations, will foster a pattern of mutual
consideration and coordinated initiatives to protect the environment and
to reclaim polluted areas. On the other hand, peace poses a challenge to
the effort to protect the environment, since it will bring accelerated
economic growth in its wake. These goals can be achieved if we draft a
unified code of environmental behavior for all the countries in our
region. We must establish mechanisms for sustainable management of joint
resources and initiate various projects in different spheres of the
environment.
Refugees
The Arab-Israeli conflict created the tragic process of forced migration
and the refugee problem, an issue that has festered as an open wound at
the root of conflict. The personal and collective tragedy of refugees of
all nationalities in the region, the refugees of 1948 and the displaced
persons of 1967, passed from one generation to the next and became a
part of the reality of the Middle East. Today, the problem of refugees
is an obstacle that clouds the relations among the nations of the
region. In the interest of all who live here, we must put an end to the
concept of refugees by providing those in the refugee community an
opportunity for full absorption into our regional community.
As agreed upon in the Declaration of Principles between Israel and the
Palestinians, the problem of refugees from 1948 will be dealt with
during the phase of negotiations on a permanent settlement, and a
discussion of the issue of displaced Palestinians from 1967 will be held
in the framework of a four-sided conference with the participation of
Israel, Egypt, Jordan and the P.L.O.
At the multilateral level, our aim is to provide a response to the
problem of refugees, through efforts to absorb them into the surrounding
community as we redress the wrongs of the past.
Rehabilitation of the refugees will begin now, with the installation of
satisfactory sewage systems and development of an infrastructure for
water, sewage and electricity to be followed by transportation and
communications. At the same time, we must create sources of income by
developing light industries.
We expect the industrialized countries to assist in this effort.
Absorption of the refugees into the community and the economy of the
region will lead to economic growth and will lead to communal and
individual prosperity of the refugees as well their host countries.
The second phase of rehabilitation will be the removal of barriers to
economic initiative, professional training, and the productive
integration into industry, economy and the community.
We will undertake a broad range of activity to set up new industries in
the spheres of tourism and services that will bring prosperity and, in
its wake, political and economic stability throughout the region.
Together, we will build a modern education and health infrastructure
that will allow a reasonable quality of life for those who presently
live in refugee camps.
We can achieve these aims while protecting the rights of the refugees to
maintain their connections to the countries of their birth and to visit
in them.
We believe that there must be agreement on a basic "Five Year Plan" that
will lay the groundwork for a rehabilitation program for the refugees so
we can reach a comprehensive solution that will bring to a close the
issue of refugees.
Regional Security and Arms Control
Peace will bring an end to the arms race. It will lead to a reduction in
armies, in defense spending, and in conventional weapons. In the spirit
of global disarmament, with the coming of peace and the normalization of
relations, we hope to establish a region free of missiles, of chemical,
biological and nuclear weapons, with compliance guaranteed by an
inspection authority representing all the countries in the region.
A precondition for establishing the Regional Security and Arms Control
Working Group is finding a solution to all the conflicts in the region.
The RSAC Working Group's efforts will move ahead together with the
search for a comprehensive solution of the conflict and in rhythm with
the progress toward peace. The process must reflect the shared goal of
all the nations of the region to live in peace, free from the threat of
war.
The RSAC Group should reinforce the security of each member state, thus
fortifying the stability and security of the region. All states have an
equal right to a high level of security, in the sense of freedom from
the threat to their existence and sovereignty. A basic principle is the
need to guard against structural vulnerability by assuring a balance of
capability that will allow each country to enjoy equal margins of
security.
The RSAC Working Group will take into consideration the security
concerns of the states in the region as expressed by each country. It
will take into account the legitimate need for protection and
deterrence. The group works to increase overall security without adverse
effects and without supporting one-sided military superiority. The
process must consider the threats faced by states in the region and
their capabilities of managing them. It must reflect the possible
threats of coalitions, political and military pacts and agreements
between countries in the region.
The process of the RSAC Group is meant to guarantee security and
stability even at a low level of military power. In the Middle East, we
must work to build mutual confidence among the countries in the region,
reducing the danger of aggression, limiting the capability and
practicality of surprise attacks, slowing the arms race and the
distribution of weapons that unsettle stability, and assure compliance
with disarmament agreements.
The RSAC Group will eventually have to consider all types of threats and
undertake a comprehensive study of the intentions and capabilities in
the military sphere, military breaches, terror, assignment of forces,
military expenditures, conventional weapons systems, ballistic missiles
and chemical, biological and nuclear weapons.
Each category must be considered separately as soon as possible.
We must agree on borders in the region, and must base arms control pacts
on these borders with the consent of all participating countries.
Progress can be achieved with agreement and free negotiations, and pacts
will be signed with the consensus of all the regional parties to the
process. We must decide on the verification procedures and
implementation of the RSAC Group. Verification will be performed by
states in the region through mutually agreed monitoring mechanisms,
mutual control and institutions in which all the states will incur equal
rights and obligations. Sponsorship and support of external states is
crucial for the success of the process.
For practical reasons, we must begin an incremental process, step by
step. In the first phase, we must turn our efforts to limiting the arms
race and reducing the weaponry that endangers stability. Confidence-
building is an important step in this process. We must give priority to
confidence-building measures that have been tested and proven, which
will contribute to stability, to lessening tension, and to neutralizing
crises.
We must also give priority to inspection and control of conventional and
non-conventional systems.
In order to assure adherence to the RSAC Group's agreements we must
guarantee a viable verification process, one that works efficiently for
all sides, through inspections and controls. We must agree on
coordinating and consulting bodies of all the nations in the region and
appropriate enforcement mechanisms.