Brussels, 12/12/2002 (Agence Europe) - Senior officials and experts from the 27 countries participating in the Barcelona Process (the 15 plus 12 Mediterranean region countries) are meeting in Brussels today, 13 December, to exchange views on combating terrorism. The meeting - the fifth of the kind since that of 23 November 1998, under Algeria's impetus - is being held in the context of the Euro-Mediterranean Dialogue. But, according to corroborating sources, both European and Arab, it should not lead to conclusive results.
The debate on the subject has certainly grown in sensitivity since 11 September 2001, but it still runs up against differences of views between both European and Arab countries, with the latter focusing on the situation in the Middle East.
Syria and Lebanon intend reaching a common definition making a distinction between terrorism and the right of resistance against occupying forces, whereas others, in the two groups of countries, do not want violent political oppositions that they do not want to see legitimised, being thus classified.
To move discussions forward, the European side proposes referring to the "code of conduct" approved by eleven countries in the region (Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Malta, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) regrouped within a Euro-Mediterranean (intergovernmental) Forum, the last meeting of which was held in Mykonos (Greece) last May, with the participation of the foreign ministers of all the member countries. The "code of conduct", the idea for which was launched after 11 September at a special meeting in Agadir (Morocco) mainly aims to have "anti-terrorist conventions approved by the United Nations implemented", t "improve police collaboration and exchange intelligence" and combat the assimilation of terrorism and Islam. At the time, Spanish Minister Jose Picque had considered that the text "could be implemented in all EU countries", even those not members of the Forum, and should "be able to be transposed into the 27 countries of the Barcelona Process, including Israel, Palestine, Syria and Lebanon" Reference to this "code of conduct" does not, however, have unanimous support among the 27. "In fact, w don't need specific dialogue with the EU, as we have signed all international texts" on the subject, says an Arab diplomat, for whom, "it is inconceivable to imagine a common position including Israel s long a there is no settlement in view in the Middle East". Turkey, which currently holds the chair of the "Forum of the 11" o said to have announced in Brussels that it had no intention of proposing the code of conduct as working document for the meetings of the Barcelona Process.