[War_ooc] Mediterranean Union

[Daniel Sanderson]

There you go, just some foreign affairs news I found this morning, thought I'd share;



France launches Med Union with high hopes

By Middle East correspondent Ben Knight and agencies

Posted 4 hours 1 minute ago 
Updated 1 hour 20 minutes ago

 
Nicolas Sarkozy ... 'everyone will have to make an effort' (Reuters: Eric Gaillard)

Related Story: Palestinians, Israel 'never as close' to peace deal: Olmert
French President Nicolas Sarkozy has secured pledges of cooperation among erstwhile enemies, in an important step towards his dream of establishing himself and France as a peace broker in the Middle East.

His summit of 43 Mediterranean leaders, launching the Mediterranean Union, drew pledges of practical cooperation on water, energy and education.

But it began importantly with key Middle East symbolism.

Syria and Lebanon agreed to open up embassies for the first time in 64 years.

Mr Sarkozy also got Israel and Syria to sit at the same table for the first time, marking a potential thaw in one of the most intractably hostile relationships in the region.

At the ceremonial inaugural summit at the lofty iron and glass Grand Palais in Paris, Mr Sarkozy basked in the the moment.

"Some people say that the French President is taking risks, but what could be worse than not taking risks?" Mr Sarkozy said.

"Everyone will have to make an effort, as the Europeans did, to put an end to the deadly spiral of war and violence, that, century after century, repeatedly brought barbarity to the heart of civilisation."

There will however be no group photo to mark the occasion.

And the appearance of progress was tempered by the failure to get a handshake between Syria's President Bashar al-Assad and Israeli President Ehud Olmert and by Mr Olmert's ongoing domestic problems, which have been heightened by new corruption claims.

However, at a news conference, Mr Sarkozy stood between the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Mr Olmert, the latter delivering the hoped-for sentiment.

"We've never been so close to the possibility of coming to an agreement as we are now," Mr Olmert said, at the same time helping to deliver Mr Sarkozy his diplomatic success.

Mr Olmert has helped give Mr Sarkozy a huge diplomatic success.


      Start at the new Yahoo!7 for a better online experience. www.yahoo7.com.au