Patten calls for a Mediterranean economic integration

The EU commissioner for foreign affairs Christopher Patten said the non- European Mediterranean states should reinforce their economic integration and to establish regional markets in order to make use of the free zone area with the European Union.

He added in a meeting in al-Rabat on Monday that the shortage of commercial exchange and investment between these countries is one of the obstacles that is " of great concern."

The European Union had started negotiations with some 12 Mediterranean states concerning cooperation agreements in the framework of what is called the Barcelona process. The final objective is to set a European- Mediterranean free trade zone including 27 countries by the fall of the year 2010.

Actually Tunisia, Morocco, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian Authority signed co-operation agreement with the EU. Patten said that a similar agreement will be signed with Egypt this summer and the EU is expected to complete its negotiations with Algeria and Lebanon this year and with Syria later.