G8 pledges

The leaders of Tunisia and Egypt are expected to sign a partnership accord with rich nations at a Group of Eight (G8) summit in the French seaside town of Deauville on Friday.

International financial institutions are to provide 20 billion dollars (14 billion euros) in loans over the 2011-2013 period, contingent on countries in the Arab world implementing democratic reforms, diplomats in Deauville said. The money would be administered by institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD).

The EU and Britain have already pledged substantial aid to Arab countries that are making the transition to democracy.

Deauville partnership

According to a final text of the G8 communique that is to be issued at the end of the summit but has been obtained by the news agency Reuters in advance of its publication, the G8 leaders describe the changes under way in the Middle East and North Africa as "historic" and as having the potential to open the door to the kind of transformation that occured in Central and Eastern Europe after the fall of the Berlin Wall."

"We, members of the G8, strongly support the aspirations of the Arab Spring as well as those of the Iranian people," Reuters quotes the communiqué. "We hear the voice of the citizens, support their determination for equality and stand by their legitimate call for democratic, open societies and inclusive economic modernisation."

The G8 leaders also condemned violence by Yemeni forces against peaceful protesters and called on President Ali Abdullah Saleh to stick to his commitment to end his 33-year rule. The leaders called for "a peaceful and orderly transition".

Commitment to support a political transition

On the opening day of the two-day summit, the seven Western powers plus Russia condemned the violent crackdowns on anti-government protesters in countries such as Syria. The leaders also discussed the NATO-led intervention in Libya and agreed Libyan leader Muammar Gaddhafi "must go."

"We agreed we have made progress in the Libyan campaign," USPresident Barack Obama told a press conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy on Friday. But the task would not be complete while Gaddafi remained in power and continued using his weapons against the Libyan people, Obama said.

A NATO coalition led by France and Britain has been bombing Gaddafi's army bases since March, under a U.N. mandate to protect civilians caught up in a battle with rebel forces intent on ending Gaddafi's 41-year rule.

Other issues discussed in Deauville are the world economy, the stalled Doha round of trade talks, the need for international nuclear safety standards and a controversial French proposal for regulating the internet.

Author: Dagmar Breitenbach (dpa, Reuters, AFP, AP)
Editor: Nicole Goebel