France's proposal for a "Mediterranean Bloc"

[Dover]

Sarkozy's proposal for Mediterranean bloc makes waves
By Katrin Bennhold Published: May 10, 2007

PARIS: A proposal by Nicolas Sarkozy to gather the European, Middle Eastern, and North African countries of the strategic Mediterranean rim into an economic community along the lines of the early European Union has begun making waves even before the president-elect takes office.

The initiative, outlined by Sarkozy in a campaign speech in February, went largely unnoticed until he repeated it in his electoral victory address Sunday evening. Plans are still being drawn up, Sarkozy's aides said Thursday, but even at this early stage the proposal has cascading implications for the region.

Such a union, even if primarily economic, would necessarily involve the member countries in discussions of controversial issues like Turkish membership in the European Union and illegal immigration via North Africa. It would bring Israel and its Arab neighbors into a new assembly that Sarkozy apparently hopes could tackle the intractable problem of Middle East peace...cont'd

http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/10/africa/france.php

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A Mediterranean union; American diplomacy
Published: May 17, 2007

A Mediterranean union

Regarding the article "Mediterranean views mixed on Sarkozy plan" (May 12): Most surprising about the idea of a Mediterranean union is that no leader has publicly championed it before.

A union of most of the Med-rim countries would include an almost equal number of European, North African and Middle Eastern states. Dictatorships would sit next to democracies, Christians next to Muslims, the affluent next to the poor.

Whereas the Mediterranean has for centuries acted as a fence, keeping regional issues firmly within Europe, Africa or Asia, in today's era of increasing interconnectedness, the traditional divider could act as a seam: bringing the areas together, establishing common interests.

With some of the core states of the European Union as its members, African issues would be heard and promoted in the corridors of Brussels. And with Lebanon, Syria, Egypt, Turkey, Israel and, hopefully, the Palestinians in the organization, the European Union and the Maghreb countries would be forced to involve themselves in the conflicts of the Middle East.

If Turkey's involvement in the Mediterranean Union were to replace potential EU membership, the European union would be forced to re-engage with the Muslim other, free from its paranoid fear of Turkey's threat to its "character."

Even with no hurdles, such a future is still a long way off, and yet a successful Mediterranean union would demonstrate that the European Union was not a structural anomaly, but rather a blueprint to be followed. While trade would increase, international strategic competition and the threat of war would diminish, offering the future a very different alternative to today's frightening and unstable multipolar world of fleeting friendships, ad-hoc alliances and resource rivalry...cont'd


http://www.iht.com/articles/2007/05/17/opinion/edlet.php

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French leader signs deals with Morocco
Wednesday, October 24, 2007

MARRAKESH, Morocco - Agence France-Presse

France signed more than two billion euros ($2.8 billion) of civilian and military contracts with Morocco on Monday during a state visit by French President Nicolas Sarkozy.
Top among them was a draft accord for the construction of a high-speed TGV train between the cities of Tangiers and Casablanca, according to Sarkozy's entourage.

..snip..

Variety of contracts:

1) The company also signed a 200-million-euro contract to deliver 20 Prima locomotives and build a power plant near the northeastern city of Oujda.

2) Also signed was a contract for FREMM multipurpose frigates, which the Moroccan press put at 500 million euros.

3) Other contracts included modernizing 25 Puma helicopters and 140 armored vehicles, and supplying border surveillance equipment.

4) French nuclear energy firm Areva signed a draft agreement with Morocco's OCP for the extraction of uranium from Moroccan phosphate acid

..snip..

During the visit Sarkozy is expected to defend his idea of a new Mediterranean union, in which Morocco - a crossroads for African migration towards Europe - has already expressed an interest.

cont'd
http://www.turkishdailynews.com.tr/article.php?enewsid=86713


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Wikopedia - Mediterranean Union

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mediterranean_Union