Dina Ezzat from Paris explores the possibility of closer and more egalitarian cooperation between countries of the southern and eastern Mediterranean on the one hand and the European Union on the other. Amid much controversy, the French managed to pull off a publicity coup of gigantic proportions, but of course, not everyone was happy Shores apart -- still Flamboyant attempts to re-launch cooperation around the Mediterranean might well yield results "We agreed on one thing at the ministerial meetings and we found something else after the summit." This was how one Arab diplomat who participated on Sunday in the Paris summit for the Mediterranean cooperation summarised the "incomprehensible" disappearance of a reference to the Arab Peace Initiative from the joint declaration of the summit. The 20-page, predominantly vague, inconclusive and indecisive document, that is supposed to pave the way for the hopefully successful re-launch of cooperation around the Mediterranean is supposed to offer all essential guidelines and requirements for the execution of such a regional collaboration. For the Arab League and seven Arab countries that participated in the summit this week along with Israel, Turkey, members of the European Union (EU) and four other European states, the fair and comprehensive resolution of the Arab-Israeli struggle is simply a perquisite for the pursuance -- not to mention success and durability -- of this cooperation. This is why, Arab diplomats participating in the summit say, Arab countries fought hard to include a clear reference to the Arab Peace Initiative in the final declaration despite the Israeli protests -- which were supported considerably within the EU. On Sunday afternoon, the foreign ministers of the 43 participating countries agreed on a paragraph that establishes a reference to the achievement of Arab-Israeli peace, upon the Madrid terms of reference and in line with the Arab Peace Initiative. But minutes before the concluding press conference they realised that this paragraph "mysteriously disappeared". With Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa engaging with French foreign minister in what Arab diplomats qualified as "uneasy encounter over what happened", the host of the summit French President Nicolas Sarkozy pleaded for containment. "The French presidency of the summit [and of the EU for the remainder of the year] promised to amend the final declaration even though it was distributed and posted online in Arabic, English and French. Arabs agreed and gave the French 48 hours to fix the mistake and said they would otherwise send a collective protest," commented an Arab diplomat in Paris. However, Arabs are not getting the reference to the Arab Peace Initiative that they wanted. Only a reference to the terms of the 1991 Madrid Peace Conference on the land-for-peace is set to appear now on the declaration. Different accounts are offered by participating diplomats for the disappearance of the reference to the Arab Peace Initiative and for the consequence agreement of participating Arab delegation to what they had previously declined to accept: no reference to the Arab Peace Initiative. A nod from the Palestinians, an overlook from the Syrians, a disinterest from other Arab delegates, and a forced accommodation on the side of Egypt, in its capacity as the co-chair of the summit, are offered as the contradictory-to-complimentary "excuses" for the drafting incident. It is the interpretation of this incident that Arab delegates seem to share. The Arab-Israeli struggle that hijacked and all but killed the 1995- launched Barcelona Process that was meant to fast-track political, security, economic, developmental and cultural cooperation among 27 countries overlooking the Mediterranean is likely to undermine, if not entirely torpedo, "the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean" that was launched this week in Paris amid much French enthusiasm, Egyptian accommodation, Israeli disinterest, Turkish apprehension and wide Arab and European scepticism. "There is no way that we would allow any formula of cooperation, economic or otherwise, to undermine our commitment to pursue a fair and comprehensive settlement of the Arab-Israeli struggle," Arab League Secretary-General Moussa said in no uncertain terms several times before, during and after the Paris summit. This commitment is strongly supported by Egypt that is co-chairing the new union with France. "President Hosni Mubarak was very clear from the very beginning. He objected to the initial proposal of a Union of the Mediterranean and insisted that Arab-Israeli peace should be concluded first," Egyptian Presidential Spokesman Suleiman Awwad told reporters in Paris. And in the concluding press conference, Mubarak, albeit courteous, was clear in indicating that the essence of the Arab Peace Initiative would apply even if its reference is missed. "In the absence of a comprehensive [fair and durable] peace, [Arab- Israeli] normalisation will not take place," Mubarak simply stated. However, despite all the Arab-Israeli peace talk that reigned over the Seine this week, the conclusion of peace seemed still hard to get. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli prime minister shook hands amicably in the presence of an ever-smiling Sarkozy at the doorstep of the Elysee; Olmert declared that peace between Israelis and Palestinians is less elusive than ever before; Cameramen covering the summit awaited anxiously for a handshake between Olmert and Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad; and Lebanese President Michel Suleiman declared his country's willingness to make peace with Israel. However, Israel successfully fought tooth-and-nail to efface the reference to the Arab Peace Initiative. It confronted Egypt, its first- ever Arab peace partner, over the status of the Arab League in the new union. "President Mubarak made it very clear that the Arab League should be included in this union despite the Israeli protests." Ultimately, Sarkozy, who personally, privately as well as publicly applauded Moussa, accommodated the wish of his co-chair Mubarak on the need to "invite the Arab League to all meetings" of his brainchild union. And in the analysis of some participating Arab and European diplomats, despite its more- economic-than-political nature the survival of "the Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean" will depend on the ability of the Europeans to help facilitate relations, and for that matter, negotiations between Arabs and Israelis. In a joint press conference with Al-Assad, Suleiman and the Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa (present in his capacity as the current chair of the Arab Gulf Council and key sponsor of Lebanese national reconciliation), Sarkozy promised to facilitate and even mediate talks but not fully sponsor the peace talks between Arabs and Israelis given that this is the role of the Americans. Other challenges for the success of the new union include the need for an agreement among its member states, especially those in the north and those to the south of the Mediterranean on priorities of cooperation. So far these are not fully harmonised. The north is still obsessed with the idea of blocking immigration from south to north at all costs and the south insists that it is sustainable development, stability, end of coercion and discrepancies that should be set as the top priorities of the new union. "Today it has become very clear that there is a need for a concerted effort, reflected in consensual projects with clear objectives and mechanisms, to establish a zone of sustainable development around the Mediterranean," stated Tunisian President Zine Al-Abidine bin Ali, in an intervention to the closed summit that lasted for over three hours at the Grand Palais in Paris. And in the words stated by the Lebanese President Suleiman, "our destinies are interlinked and no country can pretend to be able to confront alone all the challenges of this century." The final declaration offered an amalgamation of these issues with a reference to a set of projects for which funding has to still be generated and properly allocated. According to the concurred statements of Mubarak and Sarkozy, such challenges could be overcome with a strong political will. The opening paragraph of the final declaration of the Paris summit stipulated that the search of closer and more egalitarian cooperation around the Mediterranean will be pursued by the "Euro- Mediterranean heads of state and government [who met] in Paris on 13 July 2008 [and who are] inspired by the shared political will to revitalise efforts to transform the Mediterranean into an area of peace, democracy, cooperation and prosperity". The declaration added that the leaders "share the conviction that this initiative can play an important role in addressing common challenges facing the Euro-Mediterranean region". In his opening statement to the summit Sarkozy stated that for the Mediterranean region to have a future of welfare, peace, justice and progress each and every country has to give the maximum effort to pursue development and end violence. However, the French president insisted in the concluding press conference that the Paris summit is "a historic meeting... a dream come true". Mubarak, however, argued through the meeting that the summit and its declaration "is a big step on the road but that what counts is achieving objectives on the ground". The leaders of the Paris summit left Monday after taking part in the French celebration of the national day parade. They agreed that their foreign ministers would meet in November to pick up from where this week's meeting left. In November, the member states of the new union will have to decide the venue, structure and mechanism for the secretariat that will work to follow up on the implementation of principles and projects adopted in the French capital this Sunday.
