Tunisia, Egypt and finally Libya may have managed to overthrow the regimes that had overstayed their welcome by decades, but a number of concerns about their future remain. The 3 countries’ ambassadors to Malta, however, do not doubt that a brighter future is ahead.

Egypt, Tunisia and Libya will become fully-fledged democracies after the previous regimes were overthrown, but the process will take time, the 3 countries’ ambassadors to Malta insist.

Tunisia’s ambassador Souad Gueblaoui, Egypt’s ambassador Abdelmawgoud Elhabashy and Libya’s ambassador Saadun Suayeh were participating in a talk organised by the University Students’ Council, along with Libyan university student Alaa ben Mahmoud and Foreign Minister Tonio Borg. The debate was chaired by The Malta Independent on Sunday editor David Lindsay.

The talk focused on where the so-called “Arab Spring” revolts, which spread across the Arab world after the self-immolation of Tunisian street vendor Mohamed Bouazizi, was heading.

Tunisia: “Give us time” to build democracy

Ms Gueblaoui noted that while she would welcome seeing what happened in her home country lead to democracy across the Arab world, she noted that sustained revolts only occurred in the 3 ambassadors’ countries, in Syria and in Yemen so far.

She was nevertheless optimistic about her own country’s prospects, however. The country has just held its first free elections last month, although violence erupted in some parts of the country in the aftermath. The “moderate Islamist” an-Nahda party won the largest share of seats, and is now expected to head the new government.

The Islamist tag may raise some concerns, but Ms Gueblaoui stressed that the party’s position is moderate, with full respect for human rights, gender equality and religious minorities. She also pointed out that the party, which has existed – albeit illegally for much of the time – since 1981, was also helped by its name recognition and better organisation during the last election.

The ambassador said that Tunisia already has well-developed institutions and a strong education system, which will help in developing a new democratic state. However, she stressed, full democracy did not simply appear overnight, but had to be built up. The process, she added, will involve building up strong legislation, educating the public and building up a strong civil society, and these had to be built up – perhaps over a generation.

“Give us time,” the ambassador said.

Egypt: Consensus still lacking, but progress on the horizon

The regime led by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was the second to fall during the Arab Spring, and power was assumed by the country’s armed forces. The ruling Supreme Council has pledged to remain in power only until elections are held, but protests have continued.

Mr Elhabashy, however, is adamant that the council will follow through on its pledge to democratise the country. He stresses that the members of the councils have no political ambition and that they only wanted to ensure a proper transition.

But he notes that disagreement exists on many issues, including whether the country should be a presidential or a parliamentary republic, as well as conflict between Islamic and liberal factions – the former agreed with the army’s constitutional reforms while the latter disagreed – adding that these issues will take time to sort out.

Sectarian clashes involving Muslims and members of Egypt’s sizeable Coptic Christian minority, coupled with concerns over the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist organisations persist, but Mr Elhabashy insists that such threats are being overstated. He said that the sectarian clashes were largely social, not religious, and also said that to succeed in a democratic environment, Islamist parties could either move towards the political centre or become irrelevant.

He later notes that the ruling council has lifted restrictions on the construction of churches, but noted that what the country ultimately needed was not more churches or mosques, but more schools or hospitals.

Despite repeatedly noting that the democratisation of Egypt will have to be gradual, the ambassador later states that the process would also be relatively quick.

He points out that Egypt already had an experience with multi-party democracy before the 1952 revolution, that it has a strong constitution to work, and that the will to establish a proper democracy exists.

Libya: People to ensure democracy succeeds

Another uprising is sure to follow should anyone seek to seize power in Libya, Dr Suayeh insists.

The ambassador said that he did not expect a full-blown revolution to occur in his country, but said he recognised an uneasy atmosphere was present in the run-up given government’s procrastination and broken promises on constitutional reform, major projects and other matters.

He observed that the start of the revolt largely mirrored that in Egypt, until the regime “acted brutally, stupidly.”

The ambassador disagreed with Dr Borg’s description of the conflict as a civil war, stating that it was a revolution with popular support, even though a minority may have been on the side of the Gaddafi regime. Libyans are mostly united, he said, although he nevertheless adds that a national reconciliation process will be crucial to move forward.

Another issue, given the protracted and bloody revolution, is the proliferation of armed groups and weapons. These too, Dr Suayeh said, had to be addressed quickly, adding that this could be successfully done with the help of the international community.

The country will need to develop civil society and political parties before a proper democracy could be observed, and Dr Suayeh reflected his counterparts’ belief that this process will inevitably be gradual.

“But not very long,” he adds, after noting that Libya could build on its pre-Gaddafi experiences.

Ms ben Mahmoud shares the ambassador’s optimism. She noted that keeping up with her university studies became harder as the situation progressed – particularly since her family was still in Libya – but is now raring to return and contribute to her country’s development.

People who wanted their country to change should play a part, she maintains. Describing herself as very lucky to have the opportunity to study abroad, she feels that bolstering the country’s education system is a priority.

The EU and the Arab world

Dr Borg, on his part, stressed that while reforms are taking place, the EU should not make the mistake of being stricter with the new governments than it had been with the old regimes. If anything, he said, the EU should seek closer ties than the ones it had earlier: including an association agreement with Tunisia.

Ms ben Mahmoud, who concluded the debate, went one step further; expressing her hope that democratic Arab countries would eventually set up a political union similar to the EU.