West not to blame for Arab unrest

The West did not trigger the wave of riots and revolutions in the Arab countries that has been dubbed the Arab Spring of 2011, Russia's envoy to Africa Mikhail Margelov said on Wednesday. The Arab Spring started in Tunisia earlier this year, then spread to Egypt, Libya and now Syria. Libya's Muammar Gaddafi refused to step down without a fight after anti-government rebels took to the streets in February. The country has been under NATO bombings since April. The so-called Arab Spring has reshaped the lives of millions in the Middle East and North Africa. "The Arab Spring began simultaneously [in many countries]...neither foreign ministries, nor intelligence services predicted it... but the domino effect prompted suspicions that the revolutions were instigated from outside," Margelov said. The Arab world was ripe for revolution, he said. "No doubt, the young Arab people there were ready for unrest." "In the beginning of the year, the food price index hit $230... and the people reached their limit and the hungry revolted." Margelov emphasized that extremists from Egypt, Tunisia and Syria are tightening their grip, adding that it is very dangerous for the region. "The Muslim Brotherhood registered the Party of Freedom and Just in Egypt, which has become the only political power in the country and has the support of the poor. If this party comes to power through parliament, it will prompt stagnation and end with the kind of authoritarian modernization pursued by [ousted president Hosni] Mubarak."