Nation News In Brief: Sheikha Mozah leaves for Spain
Web posted at: 11/26/2005 4:1:0
Source ::: Agencies

Euro-Med leaders look to build on Barcelona process
Financial Times
By Daniel Dombey in Brussels and Roula Khalaf in London
Published: November 26 2005 02:00

Ten years ago, when foreign ministers from the European Union, North Africa and the Middle East gathered in Barcelona, they laid out a vision for the future: more aid to Arab countries from Europe; democratic and liberal reform; and a free trade zone around the Mediterranean by 2010.

As leaders meet tomorrow to take stock of progress and consider issues of terrorism and migration, the EU still hails the "Barcelona process" as an indispensable partnership with its neighbours.

But while the bloc has provided bountiful aid - roughly €1bn ($1.2bn. £700m) for every year and €11bn in European Investment Bank loans - since 1995, progress has often been deemed disappointing.

"I think we have made progress. But we can make a lot more progress in the future," said José Manuel Barroso, European Commission president, this week.

Some Arab officials have also expressed disappointment at the results of Barcelona, stressing its failure to bridge the income gap between the north and the south. Though there is little doubt the partnership has encouraged countries such as Morocco, Tunisia and Jordan to speed up economic reforms, it has not raised the flow of foreign investment into the region to levels expected by governments.

"Throughout the Middle East and North Africa, 70m people are under the age of 30 and millions of people need to find jobs in the next 10 years," says Bassem Awadallah, former finance and economy minister of Jordan. "But companies won't come to invest unless we are an export platform to other developed economies and that's the problem - 10 years after Barcelona started we don't see a significant increase in our trade with Europe. So the partnership hasn't achieved what we were hoping it would achieve."

The Barcelona process is the only forum that brings together Israelis and Arabs.

European officials often remark that the EU's status as the region's biggest investor, trading partner and aid donor means that the initiative has more clout than the series of US-backed regional reform programmes.

But while US officials routinely praise Barcelona, they also privately criticise it for insufficient focus on democratic reform and question how great its benefits have been. Individual countries in the region, such as Tunisia, have moved towards more open trade with the EU, but the original prospect of a fully fledged free trade area by 2010 is now virtually out of reach.

Prominent in the declaration the participating countries signed up to in 1995 were also promises to "develop the rule of law and democracy" and to "strengthen ... co-operation to reduce migratory pressures" and illegal migration.

Amnesty International, however, this week noted that counter-terrorism measures had eclipsed other agendas and human rights in particular. Human rights activists in the Arab partner countries, meanwhile, complain that financial aid is not tied to democratic reforms, giving little incentive for Arab countries to modernise their political systems.

"Nobody at the time was thinking that we had to democratise the Middle East," says Javier Solana, the EU's foreign policy representative, who as Spanish foreign minister presided over the original conference. "Nobody was thinking about democratising anywhere." He adds that the EU had stepped up its emphasis on reform and good governance.

Morocco has been one of the biggest beneficiaries throughout the process, receiving €135m this year, with projects such as a €40m training scheme for border officials high on the agenda. Other projects have supported Egyptian tariffs and customs reform and infrastructure investment in the Palestinian territories.

Nevertheless, activists say that in some countries in the Euro-Med process - Tunisia for example - governments have become more repressive over the past 10 years.

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'Alliance of Civilization Needed in Fight Against Terror'
By Cihan
Published: Monday, November 28, 2005
zaman.com

Alliance of civilization is needed in fight against global terrorism, Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Sunday in Spain. Speaking at the opening speech of the first meeting of the Eminent Men Group established in connection with "the Alliance of Civilizations" initiative sponsored by Turkish PM and his Spanish counterpart Jose Luis Rodrigez Zapatero under the aegis of the United Nations, Erdogan said all humanity should stand against the clash of civilizations.

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UN Meeting Promotes Alliance of Civilizations Islam-online.net

PALMA DE MAJORCA, Spain, November 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A UN-sponsored meeting, currently in session in the Mediterranean resort island of Palma de Majorca, aims at defusing religious extremism and promoting a cross-cultural Alliance of Civilizations.

"We must stop up the springs of extremism, win the battle of ideas and principles, feed peace-seeking minds, strengthen the instinct of cooperation in our hearts," Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero told the opening session on Sunday, November 27, reported Reuters.

"Former rivalry" between the Christian and Turkish empires "has been transformed into a positive association," he said.

"We want to close off the sources of extremism and win the battle of ideas and principles," Zapatero told the high-level group launch meeting.

Zapatero said a UN-supported high-level group is due to report a plan by the second half of 2006.

The group also includes former Iranian president Mohammad Khatamei, South African Nobel Peace Prize-winning Archbishop Desmond Tutu, Andre Azoulay, aide to Morocco's King Mohamed VI, former French foreign minister Hubert Vedrine and outgoing Inter-American Development Bank head Enrique Iglesias.

It is co-chaired by Spanish former UNESCO director general Federico Mayor and Turkish minister of state and theology Mehmet Aydin.

The group should focus on mobilizing opinion leaders, artists, the media, sports figures, scientists and others, Zapatero stressed.

Zapatero suggested the alliance, promoted as a counterpoint to the Washington's more forthright anti-terrorist strategy, idea last year in a speech at the UN.

It has found a receptive ear in UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, as well as Turkey and 22 other countries.

Planting Seeds

Erdogan insisted extremism was not confined to any one religion and terrorists might attack any target regardless of its culture. (Reuters)

Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan - co-sponsor of the three-day meeting, echoed a similar position.

"Together we are planting a seed for an Alliance of Civilizations to grow in our world, and this will help the seeds of hundreds of thousands of Alliances of Civilizations to flourish," he told a news conference.

Erdogan said extremism was not confined to any one religion and terrorists might attack any target regardless of its culture.

Istanbul hosted in September a three-day inter-civilization conference themed "Meeting of Civilizations".

Erdogan described the conference, which brought together delegations from up to 30 European and Mideast countries including Israel, as the result of cooperation with Zapatero.

In a March summit with his Spanish counterpart, Erdogan threw his weight behind Zapatero's initiative.

He then appointed his chief foreign policy adviser Rafet Akgunay as Turkey's representative in the project.
 

Strategic

Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos called for a "strategic alliance with the Arab-Muslim states who feel as under threat as do we, if not more so, from Al-Qaeda terrorism, and who are determined to combat this menace."

He stressed that the success of security and intelligence services in arresting hundreds of terrorists "will not serve much purpose if at the same time Al-Qaeda multiplies its recruitment".

Arab League General Secretary Amr Moussa, who last year personally invited Zapatero to formally present his initiative, on Friday praised Zapatero after arriving in Barcelona.

"I fully support (the idea), I am in favor of the initiative of Mr Zapatero," he said.

"It is a very important step; it is more positive to discuss about an alliance of civilizations than to be talking of clashes of civilizations."

Andre Azoulay, counselor to Morocco's King Mohamed VI, added his praise, saying that Zapatero's alliance was juxtaposed with what he termed the "clash of civilizations" -- an allusion to the US strategy on countering terrorism.

Liberal party calls on Euro-Med summit to focus on human rights ...
Islamic Republic News Agency - Tehran,Iran
... Monday. He will address the working meeting of heads of state and government on the Alliance of Civilizations on Sunday evening. ...

Liberal party calls on Euro-Med summit to focus on human rights and security

Once there were hopes that a free trade bloc might be created amongst the Euro-Med countries by 2010. But the BBC's Johnny Dymond in Barcelona says that now seems unlikely. The EU has given more than £6bn ($11bn) in aid to its Mediterranean partners over the last 10 years. But the latter are disappointed that business investment has not followed, says our correspondent. British officials and some human rights groups say they want future aid to be more closely linked to progress in democratic reforms and human rights. Our correspondent says the EU's focus has shifted too over the last few years. He says there is much more concern now about immigration from southern states and the threat from militants based in North Africa and the Middle East. He adds that organisers hope agreements of substance can be made, but the absence of leaders from half of the non-EU states represented may well make that impossible.

Summit seeks to rejuvenate Barcelona process - Jordan

Jordan Times - 21/11/2005

AMMAN — Representatives of economic and social councils from the Euro-Mediterranean region convened yesterday at the inauguration of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional Summit, which seeks to reinvigorate the Barcelona process.

Inaugurating the summit, which is designed to promote the social consultative function of civil society and the social partners, Prime Minister Adnan Badran said: "The holding of the event in Amman highlights the participants' appreciation and support for the Kingdom and its role in serving peace and stability in the region... and combating terrorism."

Badran pointed out that the Kingdom, which believes in the importance of partnership and socio-economic integration between social partners and civil society institutions, has decided to establish a socio-economic council.

The premier said the Cabinet has already issued a decision for the establishment of the council.

The Ministry of Labour, Badran said, has worked in cooperation with the International Labour Organisation on drafting a law for the council's establishment. The law was submitted to Parliament for endorsement, noted Badran.

Labour Minister Bassem Salem stressed the Kingdom's readiness to cooperate with the EU's socio-economic councils.

"We are looking forward to benefitting from the EU's programmes and activities to serve the establishment of the Jordanian socio-economic council," said Salem.

The Barcelona process got under way in 1995 and involves a wide framework of political, economic and social relations between the member states of the European Union and partners of the southern Mediterranean.

The Euro-Mediterranean Partnership comprises 35 members, 25 EU member states and 10 Mediterranean partners (Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey). Libya has observer status since 1999.

Lauding the EU expertise in the field of socio-economic councils, Badran said: "The Kingdom is keen to benefit from the pioneering European expertise in this field in accordance with the country's political and socio-economic reality and in a way that benefits the national interest."

On behalf of the delegates, President of the European Economic Social Committee Anne-Marie Sigmund expressed support for the Kingdom and condemned the Nov. 9 attacks.

"Our presence here today in Amman, following the blasts, bears witness to our solidarity with our friends in Jordan and the solidity of our relations, which will not be shaken by these attacks," said Sigmund.

"This summit in Amman is more important than previous summits for many reasons, chief among them is to express solidarity with the country as it takes place in the 10th year of partnership," she said.

Over the two-day event, there will be seven working sessions, including: The assessment of the Barcelona process in the light of its tenth anniversary, the European Union and the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership, the Euro-Mediterranean region and the International Labour Organisations, the role of consultative bodies and socio-occupational organisations in implementing the association agreements and in the context of the European Neighbourhood Policy.

In addition, discussions will cover Euro-Mediterranean networks of economic and social partners and civil society organisations, the development of the consultative function at the national and regional levels in the Euro-Mediterranean region: The case of Israel-Palestine ESC's cooperation and industrial and technological cooperation and relocation in the Euro-Mediterranean region.

According to the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership website, the Barcelona Declaration has three main objectives: The definition of a common area of peace and stability through the reinforcement of political and security dialogue; the construction of a zone of shared prosperity through an economic and financial partnership and the gradual establishment of a free trade area and the rapprochement between peoples through a social, cultural and human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies.

EMPA
Ten years of Barcelona Process yields modest results, Josep Borrell

By Bachir niah | Morocco TIMES  11/20/2005 | 4:29 pm

The president of the European Parliament, Josep Borrell, has described as “modest” the results of ten years of Barcelona Process, in the extraordinary session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA), being held on 20-21 in Rabat.“After ten years Barcelona Process, the results are modest”, said Borrell, calling for the reconsideration of the Euro-Mediterranean partnership, reported AFP.

“Today, we have to draw the future. It is vital to reconsider the Euro-Mediterranean partnership.” He stressed that little change has taken place in the region in the last ten years, and that the difference between the southern and the northern parts of the Mediterranean is getting even bigger.

“Politically, the regional conflicts are still there; and economically, the gap between the two banks of the Mediterranean basin is widening,” said the European official. He considered that the insufficiency of private investments and the bad governance are among the main causes that delay the process of cooperation started in 1995 in Barcelona. This process was designed to help the social and economic development of the southern countries of the Mediterranean. Borell added that democracy and the respect of human rights are the necessary “requirements” to “create an economically and politically prosperous Mediterranean.”

“I hope that this session of the EMPA will allow us to send a powerful message to the heads of sate and governments who are going to meet in Barcelona” on Nov. 27-28, said the president of the European Parliament. On the sidelines of this session, the president of the Moroccan Chamber of Representatives, Abdelwahed Radi, agreed with Borrell, that the Barcelona Process “finds it difficult to reach its objectives.” However, he told reporters that what matters now is “to prepare for the future, taking into account the insufficiencies, and to go further and faster” in this partnership.”

The extraordinary session of the Euro-Mediterranean Parliamentary Assembly (EMPA) is organised on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona Process which laid the foundations of partnership between European and Mediterranean countries.
It is intended to issue recommendations to the heads of State who will gather in a summit in Barcelona a week later on the same occasion.

The EMPA was set up on Dec. 3, 2003. It is made up of 120 European deputies and 120 others belonging to south and west Mediterranean countries which have partnership relations with the EU. Currently headed by Joseph Borrell, it plays a consultative role. It issues opinions concerning partnership projects and agreements. The Barcelona Process was launched in November 1995 to create partnership between the countries of the EU and ten south and west Mediterranean countries, namely, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Israel, and Turkey.

Barcelona process 10 years on: Euro-Mediterranean Assembly to add impetus to partnership

King Abdullah voices support for Barcelona process

Jordan Times - 22/11/2005

AMMAN — His Majesty King Abdullah on Monday said the holding of the Euro-Mediterranean Regional Summit, which followed the Nov. 9 attacks in Amman, underlines the international community's trust in the Kingdom's stability and security. The King's remarks were made during a meeting with President of the European Economic Social Committee Anne-Marie Sigmunds. The Monarch added that the large participation in the conference shows the support of the international community to the Kingdom, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported.

Over the past two days, more than 150 representatives of economic and social councils from the Euro-Mediterranean region took part in the summit, which was designed to promote the social consultative function of civil society and the social partners and reinvigorate the Barcelona process. In this regard, King Abdullah stressed his support for the Barcelona Declaration, which opens the way for further cooperation between the countries of the region.

The Barcelona process got under way in 1995 and involves a wide framework of political, economic and social relations between the member states of the European Union and partners of the southern Mediterranean.

The Euro-Mediterranean partnership comprises 35 members, 25 EU member states and 10 Mediterranean partners.

Sigmunds said the Kingdom is a pioneering country in the field of promoting regional cooperation, commending the King's efforts in this regard. She also condemned the Nov. 9 suicide attacks on three of the capital's international hotels, that left 60 dead and more then 90 injured. King Abdullah thanked the European socio-economic councils for their support for the Ministry of Labour in its efforts to establish a socio-economic council in the country, Petra, reported.

Earlier in the day, Vice President of the European Economic Social Committee Roger Briesch said in a press conference that the EU Council insisted on holding the event in Amman this year in spite of the terrorist attacks, especially since the Kingdom is about to establish a socio-economic council. Briesch added that the Jordanian council, when established, will enhance and develop ties and a partnership between the Kingdom and the EU.

During the press conference, Briesch also underlined the need to take into consideration the different social segments when establishing the council, and said it was important to pay attention to gender equality in such councils so as to render these councils a success. He also said it was crucial to involve civil society institutions when establishing such entities.

According to the Euro- Mediterranean Partnership website, the Barcelona Declaration has three main objectives: The definition of a common area of peace and stability through the reinforcement of political and security dialogue; the construction of a zone of shared prosperity through an economic and financial partnership, and the gradual establishment of a free trade area and the rapprochement between peoples through a social, cultural and human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies.

Barcelona summit more Euro than Med as Arab leaders stay away
(AFP)

27 November 2005 Khaleej Times Online

BARCELONA - The first-ever Euro-Mediterranean summit opens here Sunday, but most Mideast leaders have chosen to stay away from gathering where the EU will be pushing for further measures to combat terrorism and illegal immigration. British Prime Minister Tony Blair co-hosts the summit to mark the 10th anniversary of the so-called Euromed process, which aims to boost ties between the European Union and 10 countries stretching from Morocco to Israel.

While another aim of the gathering Sunday and Monday in the Spanish city where the partnership was launched in 1995 will be to accelerate efforts to set up a free trade area covering both the EU and the Mediterranean, terrorism has moved to the top of the agenda.

British officials said ahead of the summit Blair will seek pledges from his European and Mediterranean partners to endorse a ”Code of Conduct on Countering Terrorism”, as well as greater cooperation such as in sharing intelligence and managing border movements. However, the leaders of most Arab states and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon elected not to show up.

Critics say Euromed has achieved little over the last decade, and EU officials admit to shortcomings -- saying that is why the process needs to be re-launched.

“Our summit will aim to put the partnership on a sounder and stronger footing, and take courageous decisions to meet the challenges we face as we enter a new phase,” European Commission chief Jose Manuel Barroso said ahead of the gathering.

The Euromed partnership -- also known as the Barcelona process -- joins the 25-nation EU with Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

A key goal of the partnership has been to create a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EMFTA) to spur economic growth in the region, but analysts are increasingly sceptical of meeting the 2010 target date.

The EU has also poured some nine billion euros of aid into the region and a similar amount in European Investment Bank loans.

But the fallout from Iraq and as well as the September 11 attacks and the Madrid train blasts have propelled terrorism and immigration to the top of the agenda.

Critics also point out that, while Europe’s leaders trumpet the partnership, enthusiasm is less overwhelming in some partner countries.

Notable absentees in Barcelona will include Sharon, Jordan’s King Abdullah II, and Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, all of whom are confronting regional turmoil.

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who put forward the idea of a Euro-Mediterranean partnership back in 1991, prior to the actual launching of the process four years later, is also skipping the summit.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad was not invited amid the controversy of Damascus’ alleged involvement in the February 14 killing of former Lebanese prime minister Rafiq Hariri.

Moroccan King Mohamed VI is in Japan, Spanish sources said it was highly unlikely Tunisian President Zine El Abidine ben Ali would attend, and it was unclear if Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika would attend after traveling Saturday to Paris for medical tests.

Summit co-host, Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, was set to make Sunday a lightning visit to Mallorca to see a high-level UN working group set in train the “alliance of civilisations” he proposed last year in New York.

Zapatero’s vision -- he will be accompanied in Mallorca by Turkish Prime Minister and fellow Euromed participant Recep Tayyip Erdogan -- is to bring together Western and Muslim states in the fight against radical Islam.

Security has been stepped up in the Catalan metropolis for the meeting, with some 6,000 police patrolling outside the summit venue just a stone’s throw from the Mediterranean shoreline.

Assorted protests were planned for Sunday.

Libyan minister terms Barcelona Process as inefficient
Angolapress-angop.ao

Tripoli, Libya, 11/16 - A new co-operation formula must be found in the Mediterranean region because the Barcelona Process has proved its inefficiency and limits after ten years of existence, the Libyan foreign minister, Abderrahman Chalgham, said Monday in Cairo. According to an official Libyan sources in Tripoli, Chalgham added, "the objective of Arabs in that partnership is not the same as that of the European side, while the value systems between the two parties are different." He also underscored the religious difference and the negative role being played by Israelis within the Barcelona Process. Chalgham noted that certain Arab ministers who participated in the meeting at Cairo had also observed the inefficiency of that partnership. The Libyan minister said this in the Egyptian capital where he attended a meeting of Arab foreign ministers charged with harmonising the position of Arab countries ahead of the 27-28 November summit in Barcelona. Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Palestine, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco attended the meeting chaired by the Egyptian foreign minister, Ahmed Abou Al-Gheith. Libya and Mauritanian attended as observers together with the Arab League secretary general, Amr Moussa.

Egypt-UK talks on Middle East peace and Barcelona Process
Egypt-UK, Politics, 10/26/2005 Arabicnews.com

Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul- Gheit yesterday met with British Minister of State for Middle East Affairs, Kim Howells for talks on the Middle East peace and the Barcelona Process. Member states of the Barcelona Process will be meeting on November 27 to mark the 10th anniversary of the initiative. Howells said the meeting offered a chance for an exchange of views on many issues of mutual concern, describing it as " constructive."

Howells said his talks with Abul- Gheit reflected the depth and firmness of Egyptian-British bilateral ties. "The strength and depth of ties with Egypt will be the core of a message that I will convey to my government," Howells said in statements carried by the Middle East News Agency (MENA). Both ministers reviewed efforts to push forward the Palestinian-Israeli peace process through talks with both sides.

"The UK and Egypt are engaged in talks with both parties," he told reporters, referring to President Hosni Mubarak's talks with Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas in Cairo Monday. Howells urged both sides to work on improving living conditions and the economic hardships of the Palestinian people after the Gaza pullout. He also called for improvements in security arrangements to give the Palestinians more freedom of movement. Later in the day, Howells met with Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa. The discussions focused on the League's efforts for a settlement of the Middle East conflict, the situation in Mauritania, and UN reforms.

Howells said the talks also cover the latest developments on the Syrian issue since the UN investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Premier Rafik al-Hariri. "This week will be decisive for Syria and they have to realise how serious the situation is," he told reporters.
Howells added that his talks with the AL chief also dealt with Iraq. "Iraq is going through an utterly significant stage where the Arab country is witnessing more progress towards democracy after the referendum on the interim charter," he said. He hailed the Arab initiative to bring together representatives of all ethnic and religious Iraqi groups in Cairo for a reconciliatory meeting next month.

Published: Tuesday 22 November 2005 | Updated: Friday 25 November 2005 Euractiv.com

EU eyes Mediterranean free trade area by 2010

The upcoming 10th anniversary Euro-Mediterranean summit aims to breathe fresh life into the 35-state EuroMed co-operation framework. One specific goal is to set up a "genuine free trade area" by 2010.

Background:

Issues:

• Commission: European Union Ministers agree to initiate services and investment talks with Mediterranean countries

• Commission: Euro-Mediterranean Partnership/Barcelona Process

• Commission: Barcelona declaration (Nov 1995)

• Commission: Financial co-operation / MEDA programme

• Commission: DG EuropAid

• European Investment Bank: Launch of Facility for Euro-Mediterranean Investment and Partnership (FEMIP)

EU promotes Mideast change

By GARETH HARDING
UPI Chief European Correspondent

BRUSSELS, Nov. 25 (UPI) -- The United States is not the only world power having difficulties persuading North African and Middle East leaders of the need to actively promote democracy and combat terrorism.

Less than a fortnight after a U.S.-sponsored conference of 30 nations in Bahrain failed to agree on a final declaration pledging to broaden the participation of non-governmental organizations in public life, the European Union is struggling to get its southern neighbors to sign up to statements on counter-terrorism and democracy promotion.

EU heads of state are due to celebrate the 10th anniversary of a partnership between the 25-nation bloc and the leaders of Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey Monday. One of the European Union's key goals at the Barcelona meeting is to get its southern Mediterranean neighbors to sign up to a code of conduct to counter-terrorism.

"Islamic countries should take advantage of this opportunity to clearly denounce terrorism," European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso told journalists ahead of the summit. The EU chief also called on Arab leaders to "distance themselves from the idea that there is a linkage between Islamic countries and terrorism" and condemn Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's recent plea for Israel to be "wiped off the map."

A draft of the code of conduct obtained by United Press International is unequivocal in its condemnation of terrorism. However, as in the United Nations, there is a still a debate raging about how terrorism should be defined. Some Arab states want an exception made for resistance related activities, an idea firmly rejected by Europeans.

EU leaders are billing the fight against terrorism as a key theme of the so-called Euromed summit and claim the declaration on countering terrorism will be the first ever inter-regional code of conduct against terror. But there is a risk that in their desperation to get an agreement on the text, the code will be stripped of any content. The declaration is already vague -- it calls on Euromed countries to exchange information on terrorist networks on a voluntary basis, to sign up to all U.N. counter-terrorism resolutions and "consider inviting" partners to emergency exercises -- and it is likely to watered down still further to make it acceptable to countries like Syria and Algeria that have, in the past, been accused of state-sponsored terrorism.

The 35 countries have also run into difficulties over the very issue that sunk the Bahrain declaration -- democracy promotion by non-government organizations. One EU official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said there was "agreement in principle on democracy promotion, but there is a problem with wording."

A draft "common vision" the European Union hopes all leaders will sign refers to "strengthening democracy, expanding participation in political life, public affairs and decision making, and further promoting gender equality." It also calls on participating states to "enhance respect for all human rights and fundamental freedoms" and "maintain the independence of the judiciary and expand access to justice to all." Brussels has pledged to set up a "substantial financial facility to support willing Mediterranean partners in carrying out their reforms."

With progressive wording like this, it is little wonder that Syria's President Bashar al-Assad, and Jordan's King Abdullah II -- two leaders not renowned for their glowing human rights record -- have chosen to stay away from the anniversary celebrations in Spain. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has also said he plans to stay away from the summit.

Amnesty International believes the European Union has lost its credibility to lecture its southern neighbors on human rights because of the heavy-handed way some member states have dealt with asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from North African states. The advocacy group also says pressure to combat terrorism and control irregular migration has led to further human rights abuses in the region. "The Mediterranean countries, rather than the EU, were generally blamed for the human rights deficit of the Barcelona process, but today it affects both sides of the partnership," says Dick Oosting, director of the group's Brussels Office.

In the 10 years since the "Barcelona process" started, much progress has been made towards establishing a free trade area around the Mediterranean. The European Union has also channeled huge sums of aid -- almost $25 billion -- to promote social, economic and political reform. But, despite countless well-meaning declarations, summits and conferences, political progress has been almost non-existent.

UN refugee agency calls on Mediterranean countries to recognize refugee rights

25 November 2005 – The United Nations refugee agency is calling on the leaders of 35 European and Southern Mediterranean (EuroMed) countries, meeting this weekend in Barcelona, Spain, to strengthen their commitment to the principles of refugee protection as they discuss cooperation on population movements across the Mediterranean Sea.

EuroMed brings together the 25 European Union (EU) member States and 10 Mediterranean partner governments, gathering for the first time since the November 1995 launch of the Barcelona Process designed to encourage political, economic and social cooperation between countries in the Mediterranean basin.

Thousands of migrants and refugees who want to reach Europe undertake the perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea each year to escape persecution or war, or simply to improve their economic prospects, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said.

The human tragedy associated with the rising death toll at sea and recent events involving Spain's North African enclaves and Morocco, has added greater urgency to these discussions, it said.

"This situation has now reached the proportions of a major humanitarian crisis and requires urgent action from all the countries concerned," UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis said today. "Preventing further loss of life needs to be a clear priority in the framework of the EuroMed partnership."

Saying it recognizes the legitimate right of governments to manage irregular migration, UNCHR has noted that within large refugee flows there often are people fleeing persecution and violence.

"States have a legal and moral responsibility to provide protection to those in need," Ms. Pagonis said. "The question is how to ensure that those seeking asylum have an effective access to fair and efficient determination procedures, even if they arrive together with people migrating for other reasons."

Khatami: "Muslim world at the mercy of Western attacks"   Spain Herald

Mohammed Khatami, former president of Iran and promoter of the "Alliance of Civilizations," yesterday expressed his concern "for the Islamophobia that the West suffers from," and added, "The Muslim world is more than ever at the mercy of Western attacks." Khatami made his statements at a closed session of more than 20 representatives of the United Nations' High Level Group on the Alliance of Civilizations, a brainstorm of Spanish prime minister Zapatero. During the meeting, Khatami stressed "the need for all intellectuals to work in order to dissipate this erroneous conception. Terrorism does not distinguish between Muslims, Christians, and Jews, and they all should unite in order to eliminate the roots of this evil." Said Khatami, "Terrorism not only has nothing to do with Islam, but is opposed to the fundamental principles of that religion, which is divine, peaceful, and humanitarian." He acknowledged that Western civilization has made achievements, "many of which it owes to Islam," and added that "the deprivations caused by the West to the rest of the world has reinforced in these societies the impression that Westerners accept no one but themselves." The 20 "experts" designated by Kofi Annan met in Mallorca at the first Alliance of Civilizations meeting, which is merely the first of several which should culminate in the second half of 2006 with a report proposing concrete measures for the Alliance.  

Will the two Mediterranean shores ever come to an understanding?

Abdullah Iskandar   02/12/05/  Dar Al-Hayat - Saudi Arabia

Ultimately, the wording of the final statement could save the first Euro-Mediterranean summit. However the experiences of the past ten years, since the Barcelona process was launched in 1995, showed that in as much as Europeans are interested in this political and economic partnership, the Mediterranean states, especially the Arabs, did not prove that such a partnership could be in both directions and beneficial to both sides. This was clearly reflected in the Arab presence in this summit, with the exception of the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas who usually attends such occasions for Palestinian reasons. The European perplexity and confusion towards this trifling presence could find an explanation in the experience of the past years more than in the ceremonial  discourse about local preoccupations and the language of "who attends represents his country regardless of his position".   

The most important point about the failure of the partnership during the past ten years is that any of the measures that were supposed to be implemented within a certain framework were not collective. Each Arab counterpart sought a bilateral partnership with the northern Mediterranean shore. The trend implied weakness on the level of relations between the partners of the South, subsequently weakening the whole partnership. 

Such a conclusion does not exclude the right of the southern side to have reservations regarding the solution the northern side suggests with regards to hot issues, especially the political ones. However when this reservation becomes an obstacle hindering any progress on the economic level, which seems more urgent solutions in the poor  countries, it is then legitimate to wonder about the meaning of this partnership.
 
The personal representative of the Algerian President Abdelaziz Belkhadem tried to put forth this issue in another avenue when he declared: "It is insulting for the Europeans to ask us for reforms in exchange of a few Euros. Let them keep their money, because we want reforms within the framework of sovereignty." This discourse is true in theory,  however its practical translation collide with the North African reality on the ground, where the crippled agreements between the North African countries fail to be implemented for the past decades. The North African (NA) countries involved in the  controversial issue of the clandestine immigration for instance, could have negotiated with the European side from a powerful position rather than negotiating from a humiliating position, if it were able to turn the NA-NA partnership a living reality.  They would have transformed this partnership into a factor contributing to development and investment enticement, which would increase the need for skilled labor, and not the demand for organizing its immigration to the north Mediterranean shore. If realism and rationality, which are required in the dialogue with the north, were also prevailing in the bilateral and multilateral NA relations, it would have been possible to find a solution for the Western Sahara conflict, which is still thwarting step toward partnership, if not ruling the positions vis-à-vis this conflict.

In parallel, when the partnership was launched ten years ago, it was obvious that the dominant political and economic structure in the South was incapable of providing the conditions of the sustainable development and attracting external and internal investments. No one ever doubted that activating this partnership requires introducing some basic amendments, to prepare these structures for the new situation, absorb unemployment, modernize education, launch and protect individual initiatives, and allow the bodies of the civil society to take part in the political decision-making. This means that the requirements of reform are a necessary. Their importance becomes more urgent in light of the feeling of the north that their absence in the South  contributes, in many ways, in nurturing the phenomenon of terrorism with its internal and external facets. Fighting this phenomenon is not only a favor rendered to the North.

In light of the euro- Mediterranean partnership state of affairs, observers in the north did not fail to notice that some southern countries, if not all, do not show the same reservation towards the proposals of an American partnership. The latter go beyond  economy to touch upon security and military alliance. Moreover, enticing these proposals exceeds the desire to bolster the current partnership with Europe. These observers conclude that the scarce southern enthusiasm for this partnership and the talk about justifications for its hindrance reflects a direction toward the US, which does not miss any opportunity to exploit this fact on the detriment of the euro- Mediterranean relations.

Source: UN High Commissioner for Refugees unhcr.ch

GENEVA, November 25 (UNHCR) – The UN refugee agency is calling on the leaders of 35 European and Southern Mediterranean (EuroMed) countries that are meeting this weekend in Barcelona to strengthen their commitments to the principles of refugee protection.

The heads of state and government of the 25 EU member states and ten Mediterranean partners will gather together for the first time since the launch in November 1995 of the Barcelona Process which aimed to encourage political, economic and social cooperation between countries in the Mediterranean basin.

The ten southern Mediterranean partners are Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey. Libya will also be present as an observer.

Cooperation on population movements across the Mediterranean Sea will be one of the top issues on the agenda at the EuroMed Summit. Every year, thousands of migrants and refugees wishing to reach Europe undertake the perilous journey through the Mediterranean Sea in order to escape persecution or war, or simply to improve their economic prospects. The human tragedy associated with the rising death toll at sea, and recent events involving Spain's North African enclaves and Morocco, has added greater urgency to these discussions.

"This situation has now reached the proportions of a major humanitarian crisis and requires urgent action from all the countries concerned," UNHCR spokeswoman Jennifer Pagonis said on Friday. "Preventing further loss of life needs to be a clear priority in the framework of the EuroMed partnership," she added.

Her words echoed those of European Commission President José Manuel Barroso, who on Thursday said he hoped "that progress will be made, because we are continuing to experience tragic humanitarian crises."

Among those caught up in irregular movements to Europe, whether by land or by sea, are people looking for better economic prospects, but also people fleeing persecution, conflict or indiscriminate violence.

"States have a legal and moral responsibility to provide protection to those in need", Pagonis said. "The question is how to ensure that those seeking asylum have an effective access to fair and efficient determination procedures, even if they arrive together with people migrating for other reasons."

UNHCR appealed to the EuroMed countries to make specific references to the principles of international refugee protection in their work plan. In particular, the UN refugee agency stressed that the principle of non-refoulement – which prohibits states from sending people back to territories where their life or freedom are threatened – must be respected. In order to fulfil their international obligations, states need to ensure that refugees and others in need of international protection are not included in any returns of irregular migrants to their countries of origin.

Despite public perceptions in Europe, developing countries are hosting the overwhelming majority of the world's refugees. Africa, in particular, is home to some 2.75 million refugees. The number of asylum applications in Europe has been steadily falling and is now at its lowest level for 17 years. During the first half of this year, the number of new applications in the European Union was 19 percent lower than during the first six months of 2004 and 30 percent lower than during the same period two years ago.
 

Partnership in question

Ten years on and the Barcelona Declaration's spirit of partnership appears to be floundering, reports Magda El-Ghitany

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An hour before the final press conference of the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership Summit, held in Barcelona and marking the 10th anniversary of the Barcelona process, there was a distinct possibility that the summit would end without agreement over a single document, a senior diplomat told Al-Ahram Weekly. Which hardly bodes well for a 10-year process intended to promote closer cooperation and cultural understanding between the European Union's 25 member states and 10 Southern Mediterranean countries -- Algeria, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Morocco, Palestine, Syria, Tunisia and Turkey.

The speech delivered on behalf of President Hosni Mubarak by Prime Minister Ahmed Nazif -- ongoing domestic parliamentary elections prevented Mubarak from attending -- emphasised the importance of intensifying the Euro-Mediterranean partnership "based on co- ownership, mutual interests, and respect for each partner's differences".

Following major disagreements between Arab countries and their European partners on the definition of terrorism, there were also sharp differences over the persistent Arab demands for acknowledging the Palestinians "legitimate right" to resist Israeli occupation. Israel also strongly objects to the mention of earlier peace- process agreements in any of the summit's documents.

A two-page code of conduct on fighting terrorism was eventually released, an accord addressing illegal immigration, and a five-year joint work programme. The summit didn't produce a final declaration. Instead, a concluding statement was issued by Britain and Spain, in their capacity as joint chairs of the event.

Except for Palestine and Turkey, none of the EU's southern partners sent heads of states to the summit's preparatory meetings, a no-show was explained by the Spanish daily El Pais as a reaction to Europe's marginalisation of development issues and its emphasis on security.

EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana downplayed the absence of Arab leaders, saying "the important thing is not the spokesman, but what the spokesman says, and what the countries will say".

Throughout the meeting Europe appeared to be seeking to make aid to its partners conditional on domestic reform, a position that angered many Arabs. The Arabs feel that Barcelona is no longer a true partnership, and that the Europeans dictate terms.

"We find it humiliating that the Europeans demand reform in exchange for a few euros," Algerian Foreign Minister Abdul-Aziz Belkhadem told reporters following one of the preparatory meetings.

Another major source of contention, one senior official told the Weekly, was the unanimous Arab rejection of the EU suggestion that the concluding statement include an emphasis on the importance of "ensuring the independence of the judiciary" in southern Mediterranean states.

"Current international tensions have prevented the Euro-Mediterranean partnership from realising all its potentials," and from helping both partners reach mutual agreements on a host of issues, Antonio Badini, Italy's ambassador to Egypt told the Weekly

Assistant Foreign Minister Mohamed Shaaban concurred: "Following the [11 September, 2001] attacks, the US has changed and the world has been trying to adapt to that change: the West has come to perceive the South as a major source of risks."

It would be unfair, though, says Gamal Bayoumi, one of the architects of Egypt's role in the Barcelona process, to write off the Euro- Mediterranean partnership process as a failure. The former ambassador argues that the partnership has made progress towards many of its original goals, particularly those included in the Barcelona Declaration's financial and economic chapter. It has provided economic support to Egypt, as well as other Southern-Mediterranean partners, across a wide range of areas including education, health and water sanitation. The fact that such support has yet to be translated into effective services, Bayoumi notes, may be due to the domestic circumstances of the Southern partners rather than the nature of the agreement. The goal of establishing a Euro-Mediterranean Free Trade Area (EUFTA) by 2010, he adds, will benefit both partners. It will constitute the world's largest free trade area, an essential tool in attaining the declaration's goal of common peace and prosperity.

Blaming the EU for not playing a larger role in resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is not entirely fair, says Bayoumi, who argues that the EU is a "giant economic entity but not as strong politically". Yet Egypt still managed to convince the EU to be an active partner in the Middle-East peace process, not least through the role it is playing at the Rafah crossing.

It is the provisions included in the cultural and social chapter, Bayoumi says, that currently need strenuous promotion. The EU "must realise it needs its Southern partners as much as they need the EU. Building common bridges and cultural dialogue are essential to promoting the kind of understanding that leads to more efficient cooperation."

Both Shaaban and Bayoumi believe that, rather than failing, the Euro-Mediterranean "may have moved at a slower pace than expected... both partners may disagree on issues but the process had succeeded in the last 10 years in attaining many goals. It is just taking more time than was initially thought."

There is a huge need, says one senior diplomat, for Arab states to work on promoting their own cooperation within the framework of the agreement given the EU's new neighborhood policy -- due to be implemented in 2007 -- that brackets together Europe's Southern and Eastern neighbours.

Europe has made no attempt to hide the increasingly conditional support it is willing to offer, providing neighbours with incentives in return for domestic political and economic reform. And when Europe's Southern neighbours are placed in the same basket as Eastern states, the amount of support the South receives is likely to fall.

The Barcelona process, says Shaaban, has witnessed successes and failures. That the Euro- Mediterranean partners are fated to continue their cooperation, though, remains a simple fact of geography.

"There is still a great deal that Euro- Mediterranean cooperation offers its partners, in supporting peace, mutual stability and prosperity. We must all work" to make that partnership a genuine success, Mubarak emphasised in his speech.

Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2005/771/eg12.htm

Amnesty international challenges EU to live up to human rights obligations

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL EU OFFICE PRESS RELEASE

Date: 24 November 2005

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