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Tunisia, the only surviving Arab Spring country, is hosting the 30th Arab Summit, involving some 20 heads of state, many of whom are criticized by human rights groups or oppressed popular protests in their country.
Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi and Saudi King Salman bin Abdul Aziz, who arrived in Tunis on Thursday, as well as the Emir of Qatar, Shaykh Tamim Bin Hamad al-Thani, are expected to attend the summit. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, accused by the International Criminal Court of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Darfur and facing a protest movement facing repression in his country, decided not to participate. An international human rights group asked Tunisia to stop when it came to the country.
A Tunisian diplomat said that his country was one of the "few Arab countries able to meet all the leaders of the Arab countries," adding that the summit would be an opportunity to regain its place in the Arab countries. Tunisia is one of the few Arab countries to demonstrate against its leaders, as during the visit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman in November. The crown prince was arrested in Tunisia as part of a tour abroad after the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at his consulate in Istanbul last October. Hundreds of protesters demonstrated against him, waving hostile banners and chanting "The people want to try Ben Salman".
Tunisia, cradle of the Arab Spring, has been able to evolve towards democracy, unlike the experiences of some countries that have led to crises. In Egypt, the 2011 revolution followed the coming to power of the Muslim Brotherhood and their overthrow by the army. Today, the Sisi is run with an iron fist. The security services are pursuing Islamist and secular journalists, activists and opponents. In Syria, a devastating civil war broke out after the suppression of the popular uprising against the regime of President Bashar al-Assad. In Libya, the country sank into chaos and power struggles after the fall of Muammar Gaddafi.
In Tunisia, since the fall of President Zaid El Abidine Ben Ali under the pressure of a mass popular uprising, the country has gradually embarked on a democratic process, with the elaboration of a new constitution and a series of successful electoral processes. According to the expert in international relations Yusuf Sharif in this regard that "Tunisia has marginalized" among the Arabs. The Arab states "do not support democratic progress," he said, while recalling that Tunisian leaders did not share the same concerns expressed by civil society organizations. The 30th Arab Summit, organized by Tunisia since 2004, is a real test of the country's capacity to combine democracy and Arab diplomacy.
demonstrations
There has been no criticism or rejection of Arab leaders in the country. However, criticism of a propaganda campaign translated by huge banners greets the Saudi king, funded by private companies. "Our country does not deserve this, Tunisia will not be at the mercy of those who do not respect human dignity," wrote the mayor of Marsa in the northern suburbs of the capital, where banners were posted on his page Official Facebook.
He called on 12 human rights organizations and Tunisian unions to mobilize and demonstrate on the day of the summit to defend the right of expression and the rights of women in the countries of the Arab world. The Tunisian authorities confirmed that the demonstration was allowed as an acquired right in Tunisia, "emerging democracy". Al-Sherif said the visit of the first Egyptian president to Tunisia "will intensify criticism of people close to the Renaissance," the party that has historical ties with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt.
The delegation, arrived Thursday in Tunis, was composed of about 1000 people. "The strong involvement of Saudis in Tunisia shows the regime's strategy of including Tunisia after the Arab Spring," he said. "Riyadh hopes to inject money into the Tunisian political elite". "Tunisia does not have the means or the desire to export its democratic model abroad," he said. "She is not very interested in human rights issues in Egypt and Saudi Arabia."
But during the summit, Tunisia will want to place Libya, its conflict-ridden neighbor, among the priorities of the issues to be discussed, particularly following the UN road map to end the chaos in the country. Representatives of the United Nations, the European Union, the League of Arab States and the African Union, led by United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterich, are expected to hold a four-country summit on Saturday to discuss to discuss the Libyan crisis.
Arab leaders will also discuss the crisis in Syria, where the last bastion of Islamic State was eliminated on Saturday, although the issue of the return of Damascus to the Arab League is not included in the summit. At the end of 2011, the Arab League suspended the accession of Syria because of the repression of the regime by the demonstrators at the beginning of the conflict. Tunisia has announced that Syria holds a natural place in the university, but no Syrian delegation would participate in the summit. The Tunisian diplomat explained that there was no consensus within the university to restore Syria's siege.
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