AMMAN — The highly anticipated
Negev ministerial forum is
expected to convene in Morocco in July, marking its fourth postponement.
Speculation has arisen that Arab countries are avoiding participation due to
concerns over former Prime Minister Netanyahu's right-wing government.
اضافة اعلان
According to Axios, three
US and Israeli officials revealed
that the Negev forum is scheduled for July, following multiple delays.
However, the issue extends beyond mere scheduling conflicts.
The Biden administration and several forum member states are
advocating for a name change, as they believe a more generic name or
acronym would be more appealing to potential regional participants. The current name
refers to the Israeli Negev region, as reported by the Amad news website.
The Negev forum, established in March 2022, serves as a
platform for multilateral cooperation among Egypt, Israel, US, Morocco, UAE,
and Bahrain.
US and Israeli officials emphasize that the
Biden administration sees renaming the forum as a strategic move to encourage broader
regional involvement.
Proposed names
Among the proposed names is the "Association of Middle
East and North African Countries" (AMENA). Morocco has suggested appending
the word "peace" to the new name, resulting in the "
Union of Middle East and North African Countries for Peace and Development."
However, a final decision on the name change has yet to be reached.
The forum's purpose is to facilitate collaboration in
various domains such as health, economy, climate change, water, and security.
Initially scheduled for March, the meeting faced opposition from Arab members
concerned about engaging with Israel's right-wing government.
The Negev Forum was inaugurated in Israel in March 2022,
with the attendance of US Secretary of State
Antony Blinken and foreign
ministers from Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain, and Morocco.
The forthcoming meeting, originally planned for June 25,
encountered another delay at the request of Moroccan officials due to the
EidAl-Adha holiday.
The event is now set to take place in July, as disclosed by
American and Israeli officials interviewed by Axios. The
Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not provided any comment on the matter.
Similarly, the US State Department spokesperson declined to
comment on the ongoing diplomatic discussions, stating that there were no
official announcements at this time.
Nevertheless, the spokesperson emphasized the Negev Forum's
significance in fostering regional integration and addressing shared
challenges, while continuing to consult with partner countries regarding the
second ministerial conference this year.
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