07/14/2008

The World from Berlin

Sarkozy's 'Club Med' Is Useful But Over-Ambitious

The Union for the Mediterranean launched with much pomp by French President Nicolas Sarkozy could breathe life into cooperation between Europe and its neighbors, write German media commentators. But whether it can help solve the Middle East crisis remains in doubt.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (L), French President Nicolas Sarkozy, and Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert hugging each other in Paris on Sunday.

German media commentators have given cautious praise to Sunday's launch in Paris of the 43-nation Union for the Mediterraneanby leaders from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East.

The union, the brainchild of French President Nicolas Sarkozy, has breathed life into the so-called Barcelona Process of closer cooperation between the European Union and non-EU Mediterranean countries agreed in 1995, media commentators said.

But they noted that the union in the form agreed on Sunday was a far less ambitiousproject than Sarkozy had originally envisaged, and that its scope for solving the Middle East conflict is limited despite Sunday's grand gestures and declarations.

Center-left Süddeutsche Zeitung writes:

"It's much too soon for a true union between the EU and the countries of northern Africa. There isn't much trust yet, history has brought more disappointment than moments of triumph. But the Mediterranean policy that had been dragging along for years under the so-called Barcelona Process was given fresh momentum in Paris. With a little luck the agreed focus on a handful of common projects could be a way to bind the neighbors more closely together."

Center-right Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes:

"Is the Mediterranean union feeding illusions? Can it achieve what all world powers have so far been unable or unwilling to achieve? Following the success between Lebanon and Syria, Israel's Prime Minister Olmert spread optimism. But there are things that can't be resolved at the negotiating tables, things that can only be resolved in the hearts and minds of citizens represented by the heads and states of government. Although democratization isn't on the agenda of the new union, it would be good from the EU's point of view if the citizens of some countries weren't dictated to as much as they are now."

Left-wing Berliner Zeitung writes:

"This Nicolas Sarkozy is an uncomfortable politician …The Frenchman rattles at taboos, breaks with traditions. At the weekend he astounded friend and foe with declarations of favor to Bashar al Assad…."

"For the pragmatic Frenchman, the end yet again justifies the means. The end is the prospect of a greater say in the Middle East, maybe a significant mediation role in peace talks. But for Sarkozy, the end is also to distract from the shortcomings of the Mediterranean Union and from the fact that he originally had much more ambitious plans for it."

"He wanted to create his own Club Med, a union of Mediterranean neighbors outside the EU, under French leadership: a counterweight to the EU's eastward expansion dominated by Germany. German Chancellor Angela Merkel didn't go along with that plan. The result now is a remake of the Euro-Mediterranean cooperation set up in 1995 as the Barcelona Process, and it suffers from the same problems: unsolved conflicts between Israel and the Palestinians, Syria and Lebanon, Algeria and Morocco, and from autocratic rulers who have scant interest in opening up their countries."

"The fact that Olmert and Abbas meet regularly in Jerusalem and don't require the Paris stage to get closer to each other, and that Syria and Israel are already negotiating in secret in Turkey didn't take the shine off the ceremony."

"The surprise rehabilitation of Assad shows political pragmatism, but it's not an expression of clear or solidly principled policymaking."

Conservative Die Welt writes:

"The Mediterranean Union will not become a second EU. Its potential lies in a completely different direction. Despite all differences, there are great similarities among the Mediterranean countries and a 'deja-vu' in their way of life. Valencia and Tel Aviv, Marseilles and Algiers, Istanbul and Venice share common problems and common approaches to solving those problems."

"The Mediterranean should seize this reality by placing the emphasis on projects rather than on trying to push through common norms."

David Crossland, 1 p.m. CET

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