Brussels, 28/07/2011 (Agence Europe) - Bernardino Leon, EU Special Envoy for the Mediterranean, who arrived in Tunis on Wednesday 27 July on the second leg of his inaugural tour of the countries of the southern rim, said that the EU must be seen as having a historic responsibility towards the countries of the Southern Mediterranean in these circumstances, where countries have become or are in the process of becoming more democratic. He is reported by the TAP news agency as saying that he would do all in his power to ensure that the “advanced partner status” currently under discussion with Tunisia is not just an “empty slogan”.
“The Tunisian people have given the world a historic lesson, with the choice it made, a lesson that earned it the admiration of the people of Europe and of all the countries of the world”, he said in a statement to local press, adding that “this admiration is no longer enough - the EU now has to stand shoulder to shoulder with Tunisia in this period of transition”.
Leon, who took up his post last week said that his role would be that of the “EU's permanent interlocutor”. During his term of office, he will ensure economic coordination between Tunisia and the EU, with the assistance of work groups set up specifically for that purpose. He said, too, that, having previously visited Morocco, he would travel next to Egypt and Jordan. He has not ruled out the possibility of a visit to Libya. (F.B./transl.rt)