Paris in opposition with Berlin over the Mediterranean Union (MU)

The Bundestag, Germany Paris's enthusiasm concerning the Mediterranean Union encounters growing difficulties due to  Berlin's indifference.  Once again Nicolas Sarkozy discovers this to his cost. The Head of the Elysée charged his special advisor, Henri Guaino to go and overcome Germany's reservations. His right-hand man came back empty-handed. On-the-spot talks convinced him that Germany's distance regarding the MU is far from being a reaction to the economic situation. Germany is opposed to the idea proposed by Nicolas Sarkozy not just its format.Berlin continues to reproach Paris for going it alone and for wanting to make a clean sweep of a  Euromed process dating back about fifteen years. An anonymous German government source quoted by the Paris media accuses the French project of being illegible. Germany invites France to explain the project in more detail to her European partners."This is the only way they will obtain the support necessary,"a government source added. Berlin continues to support an European global initiative concerning the Mediterranean, as set out in Barcelona. Sarkozy's personal representative concerning the MU, Henri Guaino, did not meet Angela Merkel, but had a series of discussions with her advisors at the Mnistry of Foreign affairs and at the Bundestag (parliament).The tone of the exchanges will not help Nicolas Sarkozy move forward with his idea. A Social Democrat told Guiano that the project, with all its problems, was likely to "weaken Europe".The President of Foreign Affairs at the Bundestag, a Christian Democratic Union official, declared himself "skeptic with regard to this instrument." A third intends to invalidate Sarkozy's idea. We do not want double structures, and this should remain a European Union project in its entirety. Jean-Pierre Jouyet, the French Minister of European Affairs, recently visited the European capital, Brussels, and sized up the serious reserves expressed by certain EU members.  He remarked that the project "could raise concerns if what had been established at Barcelona was ignored. Warning of the risk of a "line of fracture" appearing between EU partners, the minister did not hide his apprehension that the MU project was interfering with the French presidency of the EU. by : S. Raouf, Le Quotidien d'Oran, 17th February 2008 translated by Raficka YASSUR, 22nd February 2008