Egypt has warned that rushing reforms in the region could lead to "chaos." "This strategic part of the world aspires to peace and development," President Hosni Mubarak told participants at the inauguration of the annual World Economic Forum (WEF), a major economic forum attended by key Arab, Israeli and US leaders.
The Egyptian leader said that the process of reform should be gradual. According to AFP, he appealed to the "pursuit of reform that emanated from within the region, reform based on a gradual prudent approach that ensures its sustainability," adding that the hastening of the process could lead to "chaos and the demise of the process itself."
"We hope to see a better future for its people," he said, adding that "the winds of change in the Middle East will not bear fruit in the absence of addressing its conflicts and tensions."
He listed the "stalemate in the peace process, the situation in Iraq, the controversy surrounding Iran's nuclear program, the situation in Darfur and the tension between Syria and Lebanon" as issues to be addressed.
The annual forum is being held this year in the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh under tight security.
