Europe best qualified to play role in southern Med. - de Marco

President Emeritus Guido de Marco said yesterday that Europe was the most qualified to provide an element of guidance and support to the southern Mediterranean.

Speaking during a study session of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, being held at the Radisson SAS Bay Point Resort in St Julians, Prof. de Marco said:

"The relevance of Europe in the Mediterranean is in our interest. There is complementarity between Europe and the Mediterranean region.

"Europe cannot play the role of second violin in the quartet, nor can it take the responsibility to finance the Middle East and keep a low profile politically," he said.

Prof. de Marco said that following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, the United States reacted. But the events in Afghanistan and the invasion of Iraq complicated the situation.

"Is it true that this chain of events, coupled with the Palestinian Israeli conflict, and the situation in the Middle East, have created the ill feelings between the West and the Arab nation?"

The Iraqi conflict, Prof. de Marco said, could and should have been avoided. However, "we cannot turn the clock back. It has happened".

And in Afghanistan, the Taliban have not been persuaded to endorse democracy. It was logical that attempts to democratise the country would fail. For democracy, he added, could not be imposed; it had to come as a result of the free will of the people.

Recalling his contacts with the late Palestinian President on the telephone, Prof. de Marco told the EPP delegates that Yasser Arafat used to tell him: "Tell the European Union to be more relevant in the Middle East".

On the Barcelona process, Prof. de Marco said this was embarked upon in November 1995. It aimed at achieving a Euro-Med alliance based on political, socio-economic links. After more than 10 years, the results were minimal and the whole process was hijacked by the Middle East situation. The Mediterranean, he continued, had common interests and with investment from the north, the abundance of human resources from the south could be utilised for this area to compete with the Asian bloc.

MEP Vito Bonsignore, vice-chairman of the EPP-ED Group in the European Parliament, said the Middle East and Africa were inextricably linked with Europe's future.

Europe, he said, had reiterated its support to the peace process, to the achievement of a two-state solution, it condemned violence between the Fatah and Hamas, it called for the Customs revenue confiscated by Israel to be made available to Palestine. But it wanted to go further, so it wanted to listen.

Europe was also working to ensure that the Barcelona process became a reality. The Mediterranean was a major challenge and an opportunity.

The director of the office for European Affairs of the Arab League, Mohammed Al Fatah Naciri, said the constant consultation between the EU and Arab League added a stabilising element to international equality. He hoped the EU would further ascertain its role in the Middle East in the coming months.

The EU's Special Representative for the Middle East peace process, Marc Otte, pointed out that the West was doing too little, too late.

Patrick Child, head of Cabinet of European External Relations Commissioner Benita Ferrero-Waldner, said that use had to be made of the opportunity being offered with the appointment of Tony Blair as a peace envoy to the Middle East.

MEP Jana Hyba Kova, chairman of the EU-Israel Interparliamentary delegation, said the first priority of the West should be to help support the area financially, with know-how, personnel and teaching advice. As well as support a two-state solution, it should also support Israel on its way to peace. And any breaches of human rights should not stay unpunished.