Call for Euro-Med meaningful dialogue

There was no option but to engage in meaningful dialogue which over time would bring Europe and the Mediterranean partners closer together, Foreign Minister Michael Frendo said yesterday.

Speaking at a seminar on the Barcelona Process, organised by the European Law Students Association, Dr Frendo said the main objectives of the process, launched in 1995, were to define a common area of peace and stability through the reinforcement of political and security dialogue.

It also aimed to work to gradually establish a free-trade area and for closer ties through a social, cultural and human partnership aimed at encouraging understanding between cultures and exchanges between civil societies.

Dr Frendo said there were a lot of difficulties, some of which revolved around the perception of a lack of interest from some Mediterranean states.

He said many complex issues, such as terrorism and illegal migration, were rearing their heads compounding existing problems. But he was convinced that the long-term solution was for the EU to help secular governments strengthen social security networks in the region.

"When you have ordinary people who get more help from Hizbollah or the Hamas than from the central government, it is no surprise that these organisations become more popular and one has to work to make secular governments more popular by helping them," Dr Frendo said.

The EU now had a neighbourhood policy but there were concerns about how this would work or conflict with the Barcelona process.

Dr Frendo said there were many issues at stake, and democracy was one of them. "But a democratic election in a state where fundamentalists have a lot of support can mean that such an election is held only once because once extremists get into power, they are there to stay," he said.