Word: summiteer
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...South Africa, and it left an impression. As I'd discovered firsthand, it can be hard to escape the damaging clichés about Africa - about the perennial curses of bribery, corruption and lawlessness. These negative associations with Africa were much on the minds of people at the summit in Cape Town. "We are fighting an image problem," said Mo Ibrahim, a Sudanese-born cell-phone magnate who has created a multi-million-dollar prize to reward good political governance in Africa. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, an ex-Finance Minister in Nigeria known for fighting corruption, likewise lamented that the private...
...surprise, then, that when participants in a workshop at the summit were asked to identify the biggest barrier to economic progress, they overwhelmingly chose corruption. An Africa Competitiveness Report released at the forum also spoke of the heavy toll of such practices as "frequent bribes" and "political favors." The report, produced by the World Economic Forum, the World Bank and the African Development Bank, rates the competitiveness of 29 African countries. Zimbabwe is described as suffering "a complete absence of property rights, high levels of corruption and a lack of evenhandedness [in government] dealings with the public." Nigeria is said...
...Time. These include a peaceful transition to independence in Kosovo, multiparty talks in Lebanon, an "honest broker" role for France between the U.S. and Iran, and some relief for Africa's refugees. At the time, he was also preparing for his first big initiative as Foreign Minister: a mini-summit in late June on the more than four years of armed conflict and massacres in Darfur, which have killed up to 200,000 people and left more than 2 million homeless. He had managed to secure the attendance of U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza...
...Arab side, the summit constituted a resounding vote of support for Abbas as a worthy partner for peace and a repudiation of Hamas' rejectionist agenda. The summit effectively ostracized Hamas from the Arab fold, warning that it will have no future political role in Palestine if it does not accept the rules of democracy and reverse its coup against Abbas' authority in Gaza. In the view of Arab optimists, Abbas now more fully understands the danger that Hamas represents to his own leadership as well as the Palestinians' future. All of this represents a strengthening consensus behind the peace process...
...even the optimists agree, it is not enough. Some Arab diplomats point to Olmert's poor track record when it comes to fulfilling agreements, expressing skepticism that he will deliver his summit promises of money and prisoner releases much less a return to serious peace negotiations. "Let's wait and see what's going to happen," says a senior Arab diplomat. "God knows whether it will get implemented or not." Without real progress in the peace process, he points out, Hamas will regain political support at Abbas' expense...