By David Shelby
Washington File Staff Writer

Washington -- Government, business and civil society leaders from the broader Middle East region and the G8 countries are scheduled to meet in New York September 23 and 24 to begin laying out the structure of the "Forum for the Future," which the G8 countries pledged to establish at their June 2004 Sea Island Summit.

This forum is the "most important and central" initiative that arose from discussions about ways in which the G8 countries could assist people within the Middle East who are calling for political, economic and educational reforms in the region, according to Undersecretary of State for Economic, Business and Agricultural Affairs Alan Larson.

"It is an unprecedented offer on the part of G8 countries for a sustained, cooperative, respectful relationship with the countries of the broader Middle East to help them achieve goals they have set for themselves," Larson told reporters at a September 22 briefing on the coming meetings.

He said the leaders of the G8 were impressed by the drive they heard coming from within the Middle East, demanding constructive change. He referred to the statements of the Arab League Summit in Tunis and the meeting of the Arab Business Council in San'a, Yemen as well as the Arab Human Development Report as evidence that the region's leaders, civil society groups and businessmen are seeking reforms.

Larson pointed out that most of the G8 countries are already pursuing initiatives to assist countries in the broader Middle East to establish stronger parliaments, more independent judiciaries, more professional media and better trained workforces. He also spoke of projects to promote literacy and provide financing and training to small business entrepreneurs.

But he said that the Forum for the Future would provide all of the countries a more coherent structure in which to pursue these projects. He added that the countries of the region would be better able to observe and learn from each other's experiences as they pursue their own goals at their own pace.

According to Larson, business leaders and civil society groups from the countries involved will meet September 23 to discuss their goals and priorities for the Forum, and the foreign ministers will meet September 24 to listen to reports from these two groups and move forward with establishing the structures for future cooperation.

He said that the involvement of private sector and civil society advisors is an important part of the basic architecture of the Forum. "I think that's one way of making sure that governments remain tuned in to these concerns on the part of the peoples of the region. And I think it's a format that can go a long way to keeping this whole forum fresh and dynamic and relevant to the interests of the people," he said.

U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammad Ben Issa will chair the September 24 meeting, which will include about 20 foreign ministers from the Middle East and G8 countries as well as a representative from the Arab League.