A senior US diplomat defended Friday Washington's controversial "Greater Middle East" initiative for reform in the region, which has sparked criticism in the Arab world and reservations in Europe.
US Under-secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, meeting European allies in Brussels, underlined that the plan is not a substitute for the ailing Israel-Palestinian peace process.
The initiative has provoked criticism in several Arab countries which fear Washington wants to impose its own cultural models on the region, while Europeans have also expressed concerns that the initiative should not distract attention from the need to get the peace process back on track.
But said Grossman: "No one should believe that our idea to support reform in the Middle East is a substitute in any way for our interest in the Middle East peace process."
"It's not a substitute but it's not an excuse for doing nothing either," he added, speaking after briefing Nato ambassadors and before talks with European Union (EU) foreign policy chief Javier Solana.
Grossman, number three in the US State Department, travelled to Brussels after a tour of the region itself including stops in Egypt, Jordan, Turkey, Bahrain and Morocco seeking to dispel fears about the initiative.
The architects say the US initiative aims to encourage democratic reform and economic opening in the Arab world and other Muslim countries in a bid to abate frustration and poverty on which international terrorism thrives.
Nearly all the Arab countries are ruled by authoritarian regimes.
Washington hopes to launch its initiative during a summit of the Group of Eight (G8) industrialised nations in June, and is keen to show it is consulting widely on the plans.
His trip to Brussels came as EU heavyweights France and Germany - famously dubbed "Old Europe" by US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld during the Iraq war crisis - have this week circulated their own vision of the Middle East.
The Franco-German proposals, a copy of which was seen by AFP, notably called for the EU to "define a distinct approach, which complements that of the United States, working through its own institutions and instruments".
And Paris and Berlin noted that "resolution of the Arab/Israeli conflict is a strategic priority for Europe. Without this there will be little chance of dealing with other problems in the Middle East."
During his visit to the Middle East this week Grossman stressed that he wanted to offer help to regional supporters of reform, if they seek it, and to hear their ideas for political and economic reform.
"The best ideas will come from you," he added in Cairo on Tuesday.
On Friday Grossman said he felt his tour had gone well. "I found in the Middle East a great interest and a great conversation on reform," he said, adding that: "This is not about the US or Europe imposing reform on people."
And he welcomed the fact that Europeans were producing their own ideas on the issue. "I found a very positive response that this issue of reform is clearly on the agenda in the transatlantic relationship," he said.
Asked about the Franco-German and other plans circulating, he added: "The fact that there are all of these plans seems to me a huge advantage. Im' not worried about it, I think it's a positive."
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