Close up: Divided we stand By Salama A Salama Sarkozy's proposals for the Union for the Mediterranean were greeted with scepticism, even among senior French politicians. Jacques Attali, former adviser to Mitterrand, said the project is based on an idealistic vision and lacks realism. It would be better to focus first on turning the Mediterranean into a safe and peaceful region, with some level of cooperation going on among its littoral countries, before moving forward. Former French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine expressed similar views. Most French politicians were pessimistic about the union. And yet 43 heads of state and government showed up for the Paris summit, hoping at best for a perfunctory statement about peace and cooperation. In their talks, they praised the Arab Peace Initiative and said that the region should be freed from all weapons of mass destruction -- a point Israel chose not to hear. Sarkozy got the Syrian president to commit to moving towards direct talks with Israel once the ground has been prepared. The US agreed to take part in the negotiations. And Europe, led by France, seemed willing to engage in mediation, but only once the current US administration has left office. The discussions in Paris were far from groundbreaking, except for one thing. Sarkozy managed to hold talks with the Syrians, Lebanese and Qataris and then declared that Syria and Lebanon were willing to exchange ambassadors. If anyone has doubted Sarkozy's ability to move things forward, this was a moment of truth. Finally, the French president had something to show for his tireless efforts. For years, Syria has refused to exchange ambassadors in Lebanon, turning down every Arab request to do so. Using stick and carrot tactics, France has succeeded where others have failed. Sarkozy seems determined to keep up the momentum. He promised to help Syria emerge from its isolation and rehabilitate its international reputation. And he is planning to visit Damascus in September. France and the rest of Europe are hoping to pull Syria away from Iran and Hizbullah. They want Damascus to join the camp of Arab moderates and start using its leverage to reconcile rival Palestinian factions. It would be naïve to imagine that the Syrians would easily give up their close ties with Tehran. And for now at least, talks between Syria and Israel are unlikely to yield much progress, not while the region sits on a powder keg. Should Israel and the US decide to attack Iran, all bets would be off. Sarkozy's entire diplomatic and political offensive would be blown to the wind. French diplomacy has found a way around a few thorny political issues, but the survival of the Union for the Mediterranean depends on other practical and financial matters. The union is mostly about cooperation in energy, environment and scientific projects. But first the Arabs would have to find a flexible formula to participate in such projects, one that assuages their fears of implicit normalisation with Israel. There is also the tricky question of illegal immigration to Europe, now a major concern both for Europe and North African nations. The Paris gathering has vindicated Sarkozy's vision, at least as far as Syria and Lebanon are concerned. But the job is far from done. With US blessing or without it, France has managed to fix some of Washington's errors in the region. The question now is whether the Arabs will find the nascent union of any use. As they stand divided in the face of a united Europe, the answer is yet unclear.
