Brussels, 30/10/2008 (Agence Europe) - EU President in office Nicolas Sarkozy and his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak met in Paris on Wednesday 29 October, and among the issues discussed was the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM). It is not known if Sarkozy and Mubarak, who hold the joint presidency of the UfM, managed to resolve the differences of interpretation of the Paris Declaration (following the 13 July summit) relating to the participation of the Arab League in the EuroMed process and omissions on the Israel-Arab conflict which the EU promised to sort out. The Egyptian press has given no further information and the short statement from the Elysée says that Sarkozy and Mubarak highlighted the “importance” of having a “successful” meeting of UfM foreign ministers in Marseilles on 3-4 November. There is currently informal contact between high ranking officials (generally ambassadors). Their formal meeting, scheduled for 29 October was cancelled, as several others at various levels have been. This will probably not affect the foreign ministers' conference, but could jeopardise the meeting of industry ministers in Nice on 5-6 November, if the dispute is not settled by then.
One issue seems to have been removed from the list of controversial topics on the agenda of the Marseilles meeting: where the secretariat is to be located. Tunis, a possible candidate in July, has withdrawn: “As for the choice of the permanent seat of the Secretariat general and the appointment of a secretary general, … Tunisia in not interested in either the one or the other,” writes the pro-government newspaper La Presse. Barcelona, then, is the only city in the running for the seat and Morocco will probably provide the secretary general. A project setting out the final shape of this secretariat - the cost of which will be borne by the host country and which will be made up of posted officials paid for by their own countries - says that it will have an “independent legal personality”. Its mandate, which will be “technical” in nature, will be centred on preparing and carrying out joint projects, and the follow-up committee, made up of high-ranking officials appointed by their own countries, will retain general political responsibility. (F.B./transl.rt)