In three exclusive interviews with , Zibari and Asefi, Dina Ezzat finds out that there is much work to be done to achieve a semblance of regional stability The list of concerns that High Commissioner for European Union Foreign and Security Policies Javier has to attend to merits the length of his title. Not only does his job consist of coordinating the wide variety of European views on foreign and security policies, but also to try and relay a coherent EU policy to the outside world. Born in Madrid in 1942 is a solid- state physics professor. It might be this particular scientific discipline that grants his ability to closely monitor developing situations, carefully react and coordinate what might appear as unreconcilable stances. When the 25 EU member states ratify their constitution, will become the first European foreign minister, a job that many European and Arab diplomats believe he is destined to have. As foreign minister, 's responsibilities will increase in both weight and number. As things stand, he is widely considered the top European diplomat, and has held several key posts, including foreign minister of Spain and the secretary-general of NATO, and seems ready for his next job: making the European voice heard on key regional and global affairs. He was in Cairo last week for talks with top Egyptian officials and a number of Middle East foreign ministers, who were in town for a conference of states neighbouring Iraq. spoke on the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq and Sudan. "For us these are issues of direct interest that we have to work on with our friends in the region. We have been working hard and we will continue to do so," he said. According to , the challenges in Iraq are particularly complex and difficult right now. "There is an unmistakable state of instability that has to be addressed in a way that maintains Iraqi sovereignty and territorial unity," he said. As for the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, he believes that at present there is virtually no peace effort worth speaking of, and that the issue is rife with "disturbing" challenges to the peace process in which the "EU has invested much effort", especially within the framework of the Quartet. And in Sudan, believes there is a terrible human tragedy, which the EU "is willing to do all it can to help [solve] politically or logistically". It seems that as far as is concerned, Iraq and Sudan are both very worrying, but the Arab-Israeli front is the number one concern. The ongoing state of Israeli-Palestinian agitation is the last thing the expanded EU wants to have happening by its new borders. "We believe the Middle East peace process is crucial," said. Perhaps this is the reason that prompted top European diplomats to stress last week that, whether the Israelis like it or not, the EU will keep pushing for peace. "We know that it is not an easy job and that the tension is very high right now, but we also know that we have the roadmap that was accepted by the Arab states... We also have the Arab peace initiative that was adopted at the Arab summit in Beirut a couple of years ago," he said. But can cooperate with an Israeli government that seems unwilling to work for peace? After all, the EU and have been shunned more than once by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government that has at times accused the EU of exercising a pro- Palestinian bias. Sharon has often made himself unavailable for 's requests for meetings or even telephone conversations. The most recent incident of EU-Israeli confrontation followed the EU vote in favour of a resolution adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 June, which called for Israel to knock down the separation wall it has been building on Palestinian occupied territories. "We are well aware of the Israeli security concerns. We know that they have a reason to worry about their security and we believe that it is their right to maintain their security," said. "But we also happen to believe that the occupied Palestinian territories should not be a construction site for this wall. We have always opposed the construction of this wall on the Palestinian territories and this is what we are trying to explain to our friends in Israel." The UN General Assembly vote was hailed as a major legal and political victory in Palestine and many Arab capitals. It came in the wake of a ruling by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that slammed the Israeli government for building the wall on Palestinian territories and for undertaking other hostile measures against the Palestinians. Going to the ICJ was an Arab initiative that was opposed by the EU, a stance that many Arab capitals described as a covert European attempt to appease to Israel. But categorically disagrees with both Arab and Israeli critics. He believes that both sides fail to see the simple facts. "When the UN General Assembly voted on whether or not it should pursue the legal opinion of the ICJ on the wall, we voted against this move because we did not think the ICJ had the mandate to deal with this issue, but once the ICJ decided it was its mandate to deal with it, we accepted that. "As for our recent vote in the General Assembly, that concerns our basic stance that while the Israelis have every right to defend themselves, they also a responsibility to incorporate Palestinian needs, including the humanitarian issues that have been negatively affected by the wall," said. would not say whether or not he believes the Sharon government is capable of making peace with the Palestinians. He refused to go too deeply into the issue, however, and replied: "We are trying to keep a very balanced approach between the two sides and stress to both sides that peace is in everyone's interest." Another question that was not willing to address was whether the Arab-Israeli peace process would pick up soon. "We will continue to support the roadmap and encourage any possible political dialogue." "After all, Arabs and Israelis have been meeting under the umbrella of the Barcelona Process during the past few years," he said. "The Euro-Mediterranean forum of the Barcelona Process, that I personally helped launch back in 1995, has offered and will continue to offer a good atmosphere for Arabs and Israelis to meet and talk," he said. European mediators are also present at the meeting. is willing to acknowledge that despite the progress made in the Barcelona Process, prospects of political, security, economic and cultural cooperation for the states around the Mediterranean have been undermined by the ongoing state of Arab-Israeli tension. In 2005 the Barcelona Process will celebrate its 10th anniversary. "We are working on a plan to celebrate this anniversary and when I say celebrate, I am not just talking about champagne, but a new push towards deep political dialogue, social cooperation and improved economic relations." While he did not divulge the specifics of the celebration plan, he did say that his celebration would involve a clear message promoting "cooperation". is confident that the Barcelona Process will not be overshadowed by any of the new "initiatives" that have been proposed by several Western capitals, including the New Neighbourhood Initiative of the European Union -- including for Middle Eastern reform and progress--, because that has its own dynamism and mechanism, and because it has proven to provide "a solid framework for relations around the Mediterranean". He also does not necessarily see an overlap between the Barcelona Process and any other framework that concerned countries might decide on. After all, the EU has an independent rapport with each Arab state, "because these countries tend to have different economic and social contexts". The soon-to- be-EU foreign minister believes that it is in the interest of Europe to pursue consistent dialogue with the Arab world. "We talk with the Arab League very often on all issues of mutual concern," to explain stances and discuss differences. Along with the Arab-Israeli conflict, Iraq, and Sudan, the association agreements between the EU and Arab states are the issue Arab and Muslim communities in Europe have recently brought to the attention of Arab-European meetings. Some Arab officials are making no secret of their deep -- and they say legitimate -- concern that Arab and Muslim communities in Europe have often been subject to unfair treatment both from their communities and, at times, the European governments. accepts that there have been some "sad incidents" where people of Arab and Muslim origin in Europe encountered some unjust treatment. But he promptly adds that there have also been cases where Arabs and Muslims in Europe have got themselves involved in some "sad acts of terror". "But I refuse to generalise in either case... I believe that we do not have a dramatic problem, but we do talk and we truly hope that the concept of co-existence will always prevail," he said. But why is the issue of anti-Arab and anti- Muslim sentiment not addressed with the same enthusiasm that the European countries show when faced with allegations of growing anti-Semitism? After all it was only a few months ago that the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) held a special conference on anti-Semitism and issued a set of rules and procedures to be followed to combat any signs of showing prejudice against Jews? "It is not a matter of meetings. All issues of concern are discussed at different levels within the European communities," he said. He added: "I believe that the sentiment of co-existence is very strong in Europe and it is not going to be destroyed."
