Former president wins prestigious award

A greater awareness of Mediterranean issues by the European Union may help in bringing about a true peaceful solution to the Middle East problem, President Emeritus Guido de Marco said yesterday.

Speaking after his participation in the 15th annual Crans Montana Forum in Switzerland, Prof. de Marco noted the EU's major expansion to the east, most of which was previously either part of the Soviet Union or the Warsaw Pact. The division of Europe in two blocs had now ended. But it was in the southern enlargement where the most sensitive issues were being fomented, such as fundamentalism, terrorism and the clash of civilisations.

"This is why I have been strongly advocating all along that a greater awareness of Mediterranean issues may help in bringing a true peaceful solution to the region," he said.

During the forum, Prof. de Marco was one of eight international personalities who were awarded the Prix de la Fondation 2004. The award is given to distinguished public personalities in acknowledgement of recognised actions promoting peace, democracy and international cooperation.

One of the personalities honoured posthumously was Sergio Vieira de Mello, former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, who was killed by a blast at the UN headquarters in Baghdad while serving there.

During the presentation to Prof. de Marco of the prize, which consists of a certificate and a highly artistic plaque, reference was made to his role "as a point of reference" as far as the Mediterranean is concerned.

Prof. de Marco took part in three preliminary sessions. In the first, he was part of a panel presided over by Vaclav Klaus, President of the Czech Republic, which discussed The South Mediterranean: Prospects And Challenges For An Enlarged European Union.

"Malta in the EU has a definite role to play which is to add to the Mediterranean relevance of the European Union. The fact that Malta, Cyprus, Greece, Italy, Spain, France and Portugal are all within this Mediterranean area will certainly help in bringing the Mediterranean agenda better understood within the EU itself ," Prof. de Marco explained.

Through this better understanding, he continued, a proper solution would be found for the troubled areas in the region within a context where the European Union can be a positive force in the quartet made up of the EU, the US, the UN and Russia.