Mediterranean Union

[CHUQ]

This is an offering from France about trying to stabilze the area. Thoughts, please.


President Chirac's departure has "orphaned" most of his Arab counterparts, after several decades of personal relations. The Arabs are well aware that their relations will be different with Nicolas Sarkozy, who is admired for his energy as much as he is feared for his open closeness to Israel. Not that the Arab leaders are systematically hostile to the Jewish state - some of them maintain relations with Tel Aviv and they have all just resumed a peace initiative at the Riyadh summit - but because Sarkozy has just buried "France's Arab policy" by launching a plan for a Mediterranean Union. And the latter elicits reservations.


http://www.lefigaro.fr/english/20070620.WWW000000346__mediterranean_union_cannot_ take_place_of_arab_policy.html

[Pete]

Great article Chuq , those are some ambitious plans and he does emphasize that Sarkozy favours and swift resolution to a Palestinian state, but without the US adminastartion on board it will sink in the Atlantic.

[CHUQ]

To be honest, the French proposal is just a rehash of a proposal made by the Turkish govt in the late 90's. There plan was called the Eastern Mediterranean Union. It was very similar but not the exavct same. It was dispelled because too many thought it was an attempt to re-establish the limits of the old Ottoman.