The Change Mariner

Arab governments adopt reforms

SFGate

In the six months since Arab governments warily watched the fall of Baghdad, Arab leaders have opened the door to unprecedented political reforms.

Though still a far cry from the sweeping democratic transformation activists seek, reforms in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria, Qatar and other Mideast nations, taken together, mark an extraordinary change for Arab governments, observers say.

"Reform in the Arab world is taking place at a faster pace than I have ever seen since I've been observing politics,'' said Hisham Kassem, president of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights.

However, much remains to be done, and there are disagreements about how serious and long-lasting the reforms will be.

On Monday, a group of experts on the region said in the annual Arab Human Development Report, commissioned by the U.N. Development Program, that the Arab world was still falling short in three areas: freedom of expression, access to knowledge and empowerment of women.

The report was particularly critical of high illiteracy rates among women and media restrictions, saying journalists "face the illegal harassment, intimidation and even physical threats."

Nevertheless, change is in the air. Among the most significant reforms to emerge in the past six months is Saudi Arabia's announcement in May of its plan to appoint a national human rights commission. Last week, the conservative Persian Gulf monarchy said it would hold local elections for the first time. In Qatar, voters approved a new constitution in April that established the country's first elected parliament.

Egypt abolished state security courts in June, released 2,000 political prisoners on Oct. 6, and adopted a slate of reform proposals at the ruling party's conference last month. Jordan's King Abdullah II is advocating the dissolution of the Information Ministry and greater freedom of the press. Even Syria's Bashar Assad cited the need for economic and bureaucratic reforms as the impetus behind his Cabinet reshuffle last month.

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