Editorial

There was never any doubt that the new French President, Nicolas Sarkozy, an ultra-liberal, would not let much grass grow under his feet once he took his oath of office.

If his primary task at home is to "reconcile the French with themselves", as was mooted by Dominique Moisi in this newspaper nearly a month ago, his first job abroad has a twofold dimension: Establishing far friendlier relations with the United States - this week's G8 summit must have presented him with a golden opportunity - and a foreign policy initiative he has already taken to persuade countries lapping the Mediterranean to come together and to establish a council that will have a rotating presidency.

Naturally, Malta would be one of these countries; so would Israel, Lebanon and Turkey to its north and then south to Egypt, right across the North African littoral and on to Spain all the way to Greece, where this country meets Turkey. The geo-politics involved do not make for plain sailing, but nor need one be overwhelmed by them. Geography has placed us together as neighbours occupying a contiguous line stretching thousands of miles. Politics have too often separated us.

It is now the time to see if this needs to remain the case.

For this initiative, the flesh for which has still to be draped around the present skeletal body Mr Sarkozy has in mind, he deserves praise and cooperation. These are early days and there is still a long way to go before the proposal comes to term. It is bold because he has grasped the nettle of Israel and, in a way, offering a challenge to North African countries to do the same.

It is also prophetic in the sense that history has shown time and time again the vital role the Mediterranean has played, often bloodily, in the often dramatic history of the regions that surround this sea. That we must strive for a meeting of minds between these countries should be self-evident; arriving at a meeting of minds is another thing, hence, the element of audacity in Mr Sarkozy's proposal.

Malta should welcome it.

The genesis of his proposal, one needs to add, has its start in the mid-1990s, when a Barcelona process was put in motion by the European Union. The time for that process to be moved forward, to build on the structures and to create a council that can promote a valid bridge-building momentum between Europe and Africa, cannot be put off indefinitely.

It needs to be mentioned that Malta's Foreign Minister, Michael Frendo, has set his heart on a meeting he proposed of Euro-Arab foreign ministers. In Parliament, he underlined Malta's commitment to improve links between the EU and Arab countries. Indeed, on the initiative of Malta, an item on the agenda of an EU foreign ministers' meeting later this month deals with the initiation of a structured dialogue between the EU and the Arab League.

Unlike the French proposal, this meeting does not include Israel and may find some opposition in EU capitals, where it may be argued that the exclusion of Israel arguably leaves a key Mediterranean player out in the cold.

Dr Frendo will no doubt point out that there is room for both meetings; one gathering does not exclude the other, but, again, it may be argued that two hefty dialogues with overlaps and in parallel may put some strain on the logistics needed to organise both. True of both initiatives is their basis in the urgent need to create a more tolerant and moderate modus vivendi between the two groups.