U.S. Says It Wants 'Home-Grown' Arab Reform

By Dominic Evans

RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (Reuters) - The United States believes democratic reform in the Middle East must be "home-grown" and that Arab rulers share Washington's goal of economic and social progress, a U.S. official said in Saudi Arabia Wednesday.

Sounding a conciliatory note after several Arab governments complained Washington had failed to consult them over its Greater Middle East initiative for reform, the official also said he was actively seeking Arab advice for the plans.

"I would broadly say that we all agree that the impetus for reform has to come from the region. It has to be home-grown," said Alan Larson, undersecretary of state for economic, business and agricultural affairs.

Larson, who visited the West Bank city of Ramallah, Jerusalem and Jordan's capital Amman before meeting Saudi Arabia's de facto ruler Crown Prince Abdullah in Riyadh, said he explained the U.S. plans at each stop on his journey.

"I have also taken the opportunity to solicit advice from our friends in the region about how these thoughts might best be pursued," he told reporters.

"Some of the specific ideas that we have been talking about have met with a very good reception in each of the places that I've stopped," Larson said.

Saudi Arabia and Egypt, two strategic U.S. allies, have led Arab complaints over the U.S. plans. In a joint statement issued this week they said the Arab world would reject any reforms imposed from outside.

Saudi Arabia, an absolute monarchy, has embarked on a process of cautious reform and promised municipal elections this year. Egypt still implements emergency laws imposed after the 1981 assassination of President Anwar Sadat.

Arab countries would not accept "the imposition of a specific reforming model on Arab and Islamic countries from outside," the two countries said after summit talks between Prince Abdullah and President Hosni Mubarak Tuesday.

Saudi Arabia's Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal said earlier Wednesday he had received no details of the U.S. proposals and said one pattern of reform could not suit the different countries of the Middle East.

"Imposing issues, or stereotyping our region cannot and will not solve the problems of the region," he told reporters.

Lebanese Foreign Minister Jean Obeid said this week Arab states would not change just to please outsiders and Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa said solving the Arab-Israeli conflict was a more pressing priority than democratization.

Larson, who left for Cairo after his talks in Riyadh, said Washington agreed that impetus for change must come from within and that any outside support "should be provided in the ways and manners and times that are requested by the governments."