Algeria will play pivotal role in Euromed Union: minister says

Taking the floor yesterday before journalists, the Algerian foreign minister Mourad Medelci gave further information about the Mediterranean Union project, which was initiated by the French president and ended up a European one.

• On the sidelines of the meeting of Euromed foreign ministers at the Sheraton hotel here in Algiers, M Medelci talked about the basic foundations of this cooperation and the financial means that must be implemented to put it in practice.
• For that purpose the minister said, it was agreed bout a common call for a summit in Paris slated for July 13 and also defined the supreme institutions within the union to reach a balance between both sides of the Mediterranean, as well as establishing a common presidency, a general secretary shared between both ides and a common committee for ambassadors.
• The minister declared that all these points reached consensus and were agreed upon, but there are pending discussions on other details concerning the different bodies including there structures and their financing.
• M.  Medelci  declared that Algeria will be one of the founding fathers of the Union slated to be officially announced at Paris summit next July, adding that Algeria “ will keep the right to withdraw from the project if necessary”.
• He went on saying “ the new space will not be an opportunity to normalize relations with Israel, as it will not be a space for tackling the immigration issue and the movement of peoples between both sides”
• As to the presence of Israel as one of the active members, M Medelci said that the Euromed union will not a ground for the normalizing diplomatic ties with this country as long as the Arab and Palestinian rights are scoffed”
• As to the western Sahara issue, the Algerian foreign minister declared that the question is raised at the UN level and there shouldn’t be an interference with the Euromed ,