French president: maghreb unity essential for mediterranean rapprochement
French president, Jacques Chirac, said Thursday in Tunis the Arab Maghreb unity is essential for rapprochement between countries of the Mediterranean rim.
The French president, who is paying a visit to Tunis prior to the 5"5 summit (5 northern and 5 southern Mediterranean countries) emphasized the importance of the Maghreban unification project in the economic, social and political rapprochement in the Mediterranean. "Anyone doubting or fearing the joint destiny as Europe is getting ready for enlargement is wrong," he insisted.
He also re-assured the southern Mediterranean countries that the European Union, while admitting new eastern countries, will not let down its southern neighbors and will live up to its commitments.
Conceding that eight years after its inception, the Barcelona process has not kept all its promises, the French president cited the deadlock in the middle east peace process as a major impediment to dialogue, and, consequently to rapprochement in all the Mediterranean basin.
He stressed, in this regard, that European and Maghreb countries should get further involved in the quest of a solution to the Middle East conflict. On its part, Europe should adopt a genuine external policy that will entitle it to play its due role in the region.
France, he went on, is putting forward new ideas for the consolidation of political dialogue and security, human rights issues and support to economic reforms.
Chirac also praised the "new neighbors" initiative launched by the chairman of the European Commission, Romano Prodi, as a formula that would lead to closer association with south Mediterranean countries, recalling his country's proposal for "consolidated cooperation" between the Maghreb and the European Union to stimulate Maghreban economic integration.
Chirac stressed that these issues will be tackled at the 5"5 dialogue summit, between the five south Mediterranean countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) and five north Mediterranean countries (France, Italy, Spain, Portugal and Malta), calling participants in this informal forum to be "bold and resolved" and reflect the region's centuries-old traditions of exchanges, sharing and tolerance.
