Asharq Al-Awsat Interview: British Minister for the Middle East Alistair Burt

London, Asharq Al-Awsat – On Wednesday, the British Foreign Office celebrated the second anniversary of the launch of the Arab Partnership Fund.   The Arab Partnership Fund is the UK government’s strategic response to the Arab Spring, aiming to support long-term political and economic reform in the region through diplomatic engagement and practical assistance.  The £40 million Foreign and Commonwealth Office [FCO]-managed fund is structured around three key objectives, namely political participation, public voice and freedom of expression, and good governance.  Whilst the project focuses on programs that support political freedom and economic prosperity in the Arab world, there are a number of obstacles that are obstructing this vision, most notably the deteriorating Syrian crisis.

Britain is well aware of the consequences of the Syrian crisis, or indeed the security disturbances that have taken place in a number of countries that have gone through political transformations during the past two years.  However British Parliamentary Under Secretary of State at the FCO, Minister for the Middle East and North Africa, Alistair Burt, stressed that he is generally “optimistic” about what is taking place in the region.

In an exclusive interview with Asharq Al-Awsat on the occasion of the second anniversary of the launch of the Arab Partnership Fund, Burt expressed his “frustration” regarding the situation in Syria, particularly “the daily fighting” and the “failure” of the United Nations to deal with this crisis.

Burt described the lack of progress on the international level in the Syrian file as “frustrating” and inciting despair” adding “we ought to remember that there are people being killed on a daily basis regardless of the existing dialogues. It is saddening and regrettable that the international institution (i.e. the United Nations) has failed. We have to be clear, the institution the world authorized to search for solutions 18 months ago, has not responded to this demand.”   However Burt stressed that “we cannot stop, we have to continue with our efforts.”

With regard to the Russian stance, Burt said “Russia has its reasons for not helping the movement in the UN Security Council. We do not think that their stance is correct, but we are continuing our talks with them.”

In reply to a question about the Russian stance rejecting the departure of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power in order to ease a political transition in the country, Burt told Asharq Al-Awsat that “al-Assad will not depart, and a public change in Russia’s stance is most likely not on the cards.  However, if they [the Russians] admit privately that there is no possible future with al-Assad at the transitional stage, this is something that they can know whereas we can only guess.  However, only a certain percentage of them are saying this publicly.”

Burt added “The efforts are continuing with Russia, not only to reassure it that its interests in Syria are not threatened, and that it is in its interest to work with others for change, but it is also important for the Russians and others to know that ultimately what is important is the interest of the Syrian people.”

The British Foreign Office Minister also asserted that “the situation on the ground is changing.  The Syrian regime continues to lose control on the ground to the Local Coordination Councils and others. This will continue for a long time if none of the diplomatic efforts succeeds.”

He said “This is a frustrating issue, but there is no alternative other than working to reach a situation which the [Syrian] president is not a part of in order to move towards a political transition that is supported by all.”

With regard to the possibility of launching a military operation, Burt informed Asharq Al-Awsat that “we are facing several practical issues, as there is no legal groundwork furnished by the United Nations to intervene.”

He added “There is a question about the shape of the intervention, as Syria is a big country, and any military intervention will require observing many considerations. Also there are different opinions on the ground in Syria about such a step.”

However, Burt also stressed that “it is impossible to exclude any option, and all options remain open. There is apprehension because of some weapons in Syria, whose use is considered a red line that might motivate us to think in a different way.”  This is in reference to the chemical and biological weapons in possession of the al-Assad regime, and the possibility of Damascus utilizing these banned weapons.

He added “It is not impossible to think of circumstances that might motivate some to think of this option. However, there is a danger of this affecting or possibly leading to the killing of more civilians, therefore there is no rush [to intervene].  There are concerns that such a step might negatively influence the situation.”

The British minister also asserted that “It is dangerous to think that more armament would bring in results in the situation in Syria.”

With regard to whether he expects a radical change in the US stance toward the situation in Syria after the end of the presidential election, Burt said “I do not think that there is a shortage in the (current) US administration’s preparedness to deal with the problem. I do not feel that a change in the US presidency will be a factor in changing the situation in Syria.”

He told Asharq Al-Awsat “I do not believe that there will be a change in the UN Security Council because of a change in the United States. The United States feels the same frustration that we feel about the situation on the ground, and it is continuing its diplomatic work; regardless of the results of the elections, the United States will continue with these efforts.”

The British Foreign Office Minister for the Middle East also implicitly criticized the Syrian opposition, describing them as being “more divided than oppositions we have seen in other countries.”

He said “this is a challenge to the Syrian opposition, and we cannot hide this. We believe that the Syrian opposition should face up to the responsibility, not of becoming one group, but of supporting a collection of principles in order to say: This is the way we will govern Syria and protect the minorities.  This is the economic freedom that others can expect.  The announcement that everybody supports these principles will give others confidence in the Syrian opposition’s assumption of a transitional government. This is what Britain hopes for from the meeting of the opposition in Doha next week.”

Syria is considered a flagrant example of the problems facing the region following the so-called Arab Spring.  In fact the events in Syria have motivated many people to consider the stage more akin to a “winter” than a spring.

As for whether Burt is still as optimistic as he was in the past regarding the fate of the Arab Spring after two years of conflict and security disturbances in addition to the on-going daily fighting in Syria, he said “we can sense the importance of the current events.  There is a desire to show immediate success; however, these countries have undergone extraordinary after decades of a certain type of government, and centuries that cannot be called democratic. This new era requires more time, and it will see ebb and flow. However, as for whether we are still optimistic then the answer is definitely yes, although this does not mean that we will not witness setbacks or mistakes.”

The British minister talked in detail about the projects supported or sponsored by Britain – via the Foreign Office and the Department of International Development – in Arab countries under the umbrella of the Arab Partnership Fund.  £50 million pounds have been allocated for projects in 16 countries, many of which focus on conducting transparent elections through training observers and journalists. There are also projects to support women in the Arab world, such as the grant to train the first Lebanese female police officers.  This represents the first equality agenda within the Lebanese Internal Security Forces which is in the process of training 1,200 female cadres.

It is worth mentioning that the British Government has announced the allocation of a total of £110 million pounds over 4 years, £40 million of which has been allocated for supporting political development and reform projects, and £70 million for economic development.

British public opinion has strongly rejected the prospect of interference in the political affairs of the Arab world, especially with regard to the selection of leadership.  Despite this, Britain cannot ignore the domestic measures undertaken by regional governments.  Commenting on the rise of Islamist leaders in post-Arab Spring states, British Minister for the Middle East, Alistair Burt, told Asharq Al-Awsat “we have no role in the peoples’ selection of those leading them; however, there are values that we expect the governments to respect within their participation in international affairs and international treaties. We have always said that the governments that will be more efficient and more stable in most cases are the pluralistic, open, transparent, and responsible governments, and they are governments that have free media, and that guarantee the right to assembly, and so on. We have always said that we will hold the governments to account according to what they do, and not according to certain nomenclatures.”

He added “We look at the way these governments protect the minorities and human rights. None of the governments in the region has any doubt about Britain’s opinion of the responsibility of any government in protecting the minorities from attack, be it through religious freedom or some people’s desire to impose their social conditions on others.”

Citing an example of Britain’s opinion in this regard, Burt said “when the Salafists attacked an art exhibition because they did not like the exhibits, the Tunisian government responded strongly to this, and said that it did not want to see such behaviour in the new Tunisia, and that society ought to decide what could be exhibited, however not by force.”

With regard to the special projects to support the economies of the Arab states, and what this requires in terms of programs that stimulate the economy, Burt asserted that it is difficult to identify mechanisms to measure the projects that have been implemented until now, because this requires more time. He said “We are keen to encourage the small and medium projects, and to employ the youth. This will be a pivotal issue for us during our presidency of the G8 next year.”

He added “When we preside over the G8, we want to launch the Deauville Partnership process. We have three basic goals at the economic level. The first is to increase private investments in the region, the second is to work with the youth and small and medium projects to provide job opportunities, and the third is female employment.  If women are not a fundamental part of the workforce, society cannot develop completely.”

Burt also told Asharq Al-Awsat that “part of the role of the European Union is to encourage a favourable position regarding relations with these countries, which means opening the field for reaching the markets. Moreover, this is an issue that concerns both sides through encouraging foreign exports to us, as well as investment from us in these countries.”

There is strong commitment within British political circles not to appear as interfering in the affairs of the Arab states or imposing a special agenda on them. Burt stressed “there is a collection of several projects in which we work together with a group of partners, but all these projects are under local leadership. There is no core plan here (at the British Home Office) so that we can say this is what we will do in the region.”

Burt added “We have a list of offers, and we ask the countries concerned about their needs at this stage. For this reason we feel welcome and successful, because the people know that we do not bring in a single model or plan that we want to impose, but rather we want to help on the basis of joint values to establish successful government; these values include transparency, accountability, and openness. If we can help at a local level, then we want to do so.”

There is also a huge security challenge facing post-Arab Spring states, which is something that Burt acknowledges, informing Asharq Al-Awsat that “it is foolish to deny the existence of this challenge.”

However, Burt said “The United Kingdom has companies that are used to work under difficult circumstances, and they are working in several countries. We also encourage these countries to communicate with new companies entering these markets, and reassure them that they will not be targeted there.”

He added “No one will invest in a country in which he does not feel welcome, or if the security situation makes his work impossible. Therefore, everybody has to understand the necessity of security in providing a suitable environment.”

Burt also indicated that “any country that wants to attract investment has to make itself attractive. This is a two-way process” between countries such as Britain and countries, which are going through political transformation, and which share mutual interests.

Burt also stressed the importance of Egypt as a model for the countries going through a transitional stage; he said “the preparedness of Egyptian President Mursi to accept the International Monetary Fund loan and to work with it is a very important gesture, as Egypt cannot be isolated, because it is a fundamental regional player. There are others who are watching what Egypt is doing; if the Egyptian economy grows, this will be a catalyst for the entire region.”

It is worth noting that among the British Foreign Office projects which support combating corruption, there are projects in several countries – including Egypt – which aim to promote an attractive investment environment.

Iraq is one of the countries that will see investment thanks to the Arab Partnership Fund, however there are questions being raised about Britain’s commitment to Iraq after the announcement last month of the closure of the UK consulate in Basra. Burt rejected this view, and emphasizes that his country is committed to relations with Iraq. The British Minister informed Asharq Al-Awsat that “we will keep our office in Basra, and our team in the embassy in Baghdad will support the office. We will continue to send economic missions to Basra. We have discussed this step with the oil companies and other companies in Iraq.”

He added “the ease of travel now between Basra and Baghdad means that it is easy to keep our office in Basra and to support it from Baghdad.”