US-backed Mideast meeting ends without final declaration

The forum for the future, a US-backed meeting aimed at promoting political reform in the Middle East and North Africa, ended on Saturday without a final declaration, according to reports from Bahrain's capital of Manama.

A draft declaration that pledges "to expand democratic practices, to enlarge participation in political and public life and to foster the roles of civil society including the non-governmental organizations," was shelved after Egypt expressed reservations.

Egypt wanted to add that only NGOs which were "legally registered" with a country and followed that nation's laws shouldbe helped, the reports said.

"We did not withdraw" from the meeting, said Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit at a closing press conference.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa told reporters the declaration will come up again, perhaps at next year's meeting scheduled to be held in Jordan.

Ministers of some 22 Middle East and North African countries and G-8 nations as well as representatives from the World Bank andthe European Union attended the meeting.

The two-day forum is seen as one of the concrete steps toward implementing Washington's "Greater Middle East Initiative" adopted at the G-8 summit last year.

Arab leaders have resisted US calls for speedy democratic reforms in their countries, saying the steps that the United States deems essential to stem terrorism must be preceded by a just and durable peace in the Middle East.

Also at the meeting, a fund was created to promote cooperation between business enterprises across the region ranging from Morocco to Afghanistan.

The United States is providing 50 million US dollars for the "Foundation for the Future" and Qatar has agreed to put in 10 million US dollars.

Source: Xinhua