'Tunisia Revolution not far from Arabs'

31/01/2011| IslamWeb

The Arab League's (AL) secretary general has warned that Arab states are on the brink of revolution, calling for an Arab “renaissance.”

"The Tunisian revolution is not far from us," Amr Moussa told 20 Arab leaders and other representatives gathered in the Egyptian Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on Sunday, adding that the Arabs have entered an "unprecedented state of anger and frustration."

Moussa noted that he wanted to see a multi-party democracy emerge in Egypt, but could not say how soon that might happen.

Earlier this month, Moussa had warned that the "Arab soul is broken by poverty, unemployment and general recession."

In Yemen, sporadic riots have forced President Ali Abdullah Saleh into quick economic concessions, including slashing income taxes in half and ordering price controls on food and basic goods.

In Jordan, thousands of protesters on Friday demanded the resignation of Prime Minister Samir Rifai and called for economic reform to help citizens cope with ripples of the worldwide economic meltdown.

Meanwhile, talking to the state-run BBC radio after the meeting, Moussa, who was the former Egyptian foreign minister, said that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak must adhere to public demands, rather than reshuffling ministers.

When asked if Mubarak will quit, he said that the president is not that type who might quit, but that he was listening carefully to the calls for reforms.

"The Arab world now is on the path of change. This is the motto now: reform, change and modernization," he said.

"All of us should be concerned that the situation in our societies is indeed very shaky and full of complaints and uncomfortable feelings," Moussa concluded.

PHOTO CAPTION

Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa

Source: Agencies