Brussels, 27/07/2007 (Agence Europe) - During his visit to Libya on Wednesday, the French president, Nicolas Sarkozy, also congratulated Colonel Gaddafi on his agreement regarding the “Mediterranean Union” (an idea floated by the French head of state himself, see EUROPE 9434), and announced a “summit of Mediterranean heads of state during the first half of 2008”, according to Le Monde. The Mediterranean countries must “do the same thing as the Europeans 60 years ago, with concrete programmes”, Mr Sarkozy explained. He said “water can be for the Mediterranean what steel was for Europe” (referring to the Libyan programme for desalination of water).
The French president also said in Tripoli that all Mediterranean countries aim to enter this new Mediterranean Union “including Israel and Palestine”. Turkey (that Paris does not wish to see become a member of the European Union) should also play a pivotal role in the Union. According to Le Monde, Mr Sarkozy agreed, “as a first step”, to the Libyan proposal that negotiations on the creation of a Mediterranean Union should open “with five African and five European countries around the western Mediterranean”. (hb)