Venue dispute reveals Euro-Med frustrations

Date: 16/01/1997

By Elizabeth Wise

THE Dutch presidency has put the Union's relations with its Mediterranean neighbours in North Africa and the Middle East at the top of its list of foreign policy priorities for the coming months.

But it may have a hard time achieving any real success, if the current state of affairs is anything to go by.

Tasked with tackling vital subjects such as commerce, water supply, energy, and even peace and stability in the volatile Mediterranean region, the Euro-Med group cannot even agree on a venue for its next ministerial meeting.

When foreign ministers of the 15 EU member states and the 12 Mediterranean nations launched their partnership with much aplomb in Barcelona in November 1995, they agreed to meet again in early 1997.

The date has been selected 15-17 April but the 27 countries appear unable to agree on a site.

On the Union premise that meetings should be held on alternating sides of the Mediterranean Sea, the April gathering should be held in a North African country. At the Barcelona meeting, Morocco and Tunisia immediately began lobbying for the privilege, with Morocco calling for the Barcelona declaration to include the name of the next venue.

But Syria has thrown a spanner into the works by saying it does not want the meeting to be held in an Arab nation.

Damascus is uncomfortable sitting at the same table with representatives of the Israeli government during the numerous Euro-Med meetings in Brussels and elsewhere, and feels the symbolism of inviting Israel to an Arab country is too much for it to bear.

EU officials attribute Damascus' stand to the fact that the Middle East peace process is going through hard times.

Some Mediterranean partners feel that, like the Middle East process, the Euro-Med or 'Barcelona' process is doomed to be dogged by problems.

“Nothing substantial has come out of Barcelona because of the composition of the group,” said a Mediterranean diplomat. “It is a miracle that they even sit together.”

Frustrations are numerous and varied. While Syria complains about the politics, it is reasonably content with the economic advantages of being a part of the Barcelona club.

But Turkish officials are not. The European Parliament has frozen all Euro-Med money destined for Turkey. “We have told our partners that if aid is not forthcoming, we would withdraw from the group,” said a Turkish diplomat, who expressed scepticism about what could be gained from future Euro-Med meetings.

The European Commission is now drafting negotiating papers that should serve as the basis for discussions at the April meeting. As these progress, they will be sent to the Mediterranean governments for review and are expected to be approved by EU foreign ministers in March.

The draft declaration for Barcelona was controversial, as it touched on subjects such as disarmament and territorial integrity.

Officials expect the 1997 declaration to be less contentious if anyone actually makes it to the meeting. Damascus would be willing to go to Cyprus or Malta, but this idea is equally difficult for others.

“Cyprus is out of the question for us,” said a Turkish official, citing a 'gentlemen's agreement' struck by the 27 last year that no meetings would be held in a country that was problematic for another member. That rules out Greece, Turkey and Cyprus as venues for quite a while.

As for Malta, the island's foreign minister says he is ready to play host to his colleagues, but he is not ready to fight Rabat and Tunis for the opportunity to become the referee between angry Syrians and Israelis.

“Malta is not lobbying to have that conference. If it falls into our lap, we will be glad to have it,” said Foreign Minister George Vella. “We are keeping a very low profile and watching to see what happens.”

Expressing the frustration which most of the partner governments are feeling about the whole process, Vella added: “Time is pressing. We are about at the time when we should know whether we will have this meeting or not.”