Brussels, 24/11/2009 (Agence Europe) - The high-ranking officials responsible for the EuroMed process failed to reach agreement in their meeting in Brussels on Monday 23 November on the nomination of a Secretary General for the UfM (Union for the Mediterranean), his assistants (five or six, the exact number being one of the bones of contention in the on-going difficult negotiations) and, more generally, on the articles of association of the joint body. The decision was remitted for consideration on 14 December and, already, the Arab countries have said that it will only be possible to formalise this decision at a foreign minister-level meeting, the aim being, first and foremost, to get ministers to clarify a situation which several partners feel is confused. According to a number of sources, it was the Tunisian ambassador who led the disputation, reportedly saying that, from the start, a number of principles had been established, but that it was doubtful if they could now be found in reading the draft articles of association, which still contain a number of square brackets, phrases still under discussion.
The main stumbling block remains the definition of the role of the secretary general and number of deputy secretaries general. A sixth seat, one more than had been agreed at the ministerial meeting in Marseilles in November 2008 was allocated by the French joint Presidency to Turkey; Cyprus and Greece protested against this fait accompli and called for guarantees that there would be no rejection of Cyprus's candidacy if, one day, it sought a role within the UfM.
There is clearly general uncertainty as to the objectives and purpose of the UfM. After the shift from the initial principles already mentioned and what has happened a year and a half after the Paris summit, everything points to a loss of faith in the project which no one, not the European Commission nor the partners from the southern rim, can say will have enhanced relations with the European institution - which holds considerable funds, including the resources of the EIB - or will have enhanced intergovernmental relations where funding sources are not guaranteed. The European Commission has certainly said that it will make a contribution, but only if the aims of the projects put forward are in line with the strategies in the action plans agreed with each of the partner countries or as part of a regional perspective (energy, maritime policy, environment, etc). The Commission's main role, it says, will be to ensure the “overall consistency” of Euro-Mediterranean policy which is not restricted simply to the Union for the Mediterranean project, a project which, obviously, has not been well thought out. To use the image employed by a Swedish diplomat, “The UfM is like an IKEA kit. We have all the parts and the assembly instructions. We will have to understand how to build it and, then, think about the screws and nuts that will inevitably be left at the end”. This eloquent image suggests that much work remains to be done and the instruction book difficult to understand.
The only one in no doubt, the only candidate for the secretary general's post, Jordanian diplomat Ahmad Massada, who was practically certain of being appointed on Monday, called a press meeting and formally informed the Commission of the choice of a logo for a UfM which still has no articles of association or clear statement of its role. It does, then, have a logo and a palace, the Palau Pedralbes, graciously made available by the city of Barcelona: there is a risk, however, that the UfM will be limited to these two achievements, since several sources interpret the situation as an unequivocal decision to observe a “pause for reflection”. The situation could be further complicated by the stalled Middle East peace process. Arab countries, in particular Syria, but also, it is believed the Palestinians and even Egypt, are wondering whether or not to continue “regional” dialogue that involves Israel, if Israel continues to undermine this dialogue through the policy it is pursuing on the ground. (F.B./transl.rt)