Juppe wants to restart the AFP
UPM's new foreign minister, Alain Juppe, called today to "relaunch" the Union for the Mediterranean (UPM) "more necessary than ever," he said, to allow its citizens to South Shore live at home knowing democracy and prosperity.
"It is our duty to assist peoples of the South in their march to democracy. Fate hesitates in Tunisia, Egypt, Libya: the best is possible, the worst is possible," he said before the National Assembly, while the Libyans are still in full rebellion against Colonel Qaddafi and nothing is set in Tunisia and Egypt after the fall of Ben Ali and Hosni Mubarak.
The UPM is "an idea, more necessary than ever" because "the Mediterranean is the cradle of European civilization, the cradle of three religions of the Book who are our common good," he said. "It is our interest to ensure that development on both sides allows citizens southern living at home on their land, their country and find peace, freedom, work and prosperity they are entitled to expect, "said Alain Juppe.
"This is what we will do by raising the UPM, with the support of all countries of the European Union (EU), he said.
UPM, created July 13, 2008 on an idea of President Nicolas Sarkozy, has about forty members, including EU countries, Turkey, Israel and Arab countries bordering the Mediterranean. Chaired by President Nicolas Sarkozy and Hosni Mubarak, now removed from power, she has recently lost its general secretary, resigned. Dying, she was ambitious, developing concrete projects in various fields (environment, transport, energy, culture, education) to boost Euro-Mediterranean cooperation launched in 1995 in Barcelona.
0 comments:
Post a Comment