(Adds Malta liaison office between the EU and the Arab League)
A Maltese will be among deputy general secretaries of the newly set up secretariat of the Union for the Mediterranean, it emerged today.
The Union will have a secretary general from a southern state, who has yet to be appointed, and five deputies -- an Israeli, Palestinian, Italian, Maltese and Greek -- who would all serve three year terms.
The setting up of the secretariat was among subjects discussed at a meeting of foreign ministers from 43 EU and Mediterranean countries in Marseilles.
In terms of a compromise deal, the seat of the Mediterranean Union, also known as 'Club Med' will be in Barcelona. Malta had itself sought to host the secretariat.
Malta was however selected to host a liaison office for dialogue between the EU and the Arab League.
The proposal was made jointly by EU Foreign Affairs Commissioner Benita Ferrero Waldner and Arab League Secretary-General Amre Mousa.
The office, the first of its kind, will group EU, Arab League and Maltese experts who will promote dialogue between Europe and the Arab countries.
"The chance of failure was high, but a good compromise deal was found in the end," said Stefania Craxi, under secretary at Italy's foreign ministry.
The project will replace an existing EU-Mediterranean partnership, known as the Barcelona process, and is meant to focus on an array of highly practical programmes to help the region including water, energy and education schemes.
The problems that dogged the 1995 Barcelona process had threatened to cripple the new-look Union, with tensions relating to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict snarling progress.
Israel had protested against a drive by the Arab League to play an active role, saying it was too politicised and would try to scupper cooperation projects with the Jewish state.
Israel finally agreed to the League participating "at all levels" of the Union in return for being given a prominent position within the Union's newly established bureaucracy.
Overcoming another problem, Paris convinced its partners to let the twin presidents -- France and Egypt -- serve an initial two years before passing on the baton to other states.
While wrangling over the make up of the Union continued, four of the proposed projects have already started, including de-pollution work on the Mediterranean and a civil protection scheme to prepare for natural and man-made disasters.