Sarkozy launches Mediterranean union

President Nicolas Sarkozy yesterday sought to shift Europe's strategic focus towards the Middle East, north Africa and the Balkans, hosting 42 heads of state and government at a summit in Paris to launch a new Mediterranean Union, reports the Guardian.

Initially concentrated on infrastructure and energy projects such as making north Africa a hub for solar power, Sarkozy's grand initiative is acutely political, claiming a pole position for France in European foreign policy-making after years of drift and seeking to redirect policy from the east of Europe to the south.

The Irish Times describes scenes in Paris on Sunday, when French president Nicolas Sarkozy, Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert and president of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas showed a triumphant front during the summit.

The paper says that the Mediterranean union plan has refocused Europe's attention on it southern neighbours.

However, says the Scotsman, there was no such détente between Syrian and Israeli leaders, who, while sitting at the same table for the first time, did not engage in any public handshakes or friendly gestures.

The paper says Sarkozy encouraged Middle Eastern countries to adopt a European model of reconciliation and integration.

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