Taleb Ibrahimi: Algeria foiled France’s Mediterranean plan

Algeria foreign minister Ahmed Taleb Ibrahimi said the Union for the Mediterranean project launched by French President Nicolas Sarkozy is not different from an idea suggested by his French counterpart in 1983, Claude Cheysson.

In his memories, Ibrahimi said the French minister suggested to hold talks between the six nations on the western side of the Mediterranean Sea, France, Italy, Spain, Morocco and Tunisia about common interest issues.

The initiative was limited in the six countries as there were fears of failure due to conflicts in eastern the Mediterranean Sea including the Arab-Israeli conflict because of the Palestinian Cause, according to Ibrahimi.

“The Spanish position was positive. Tunisia was motivated and Italy hesitated,” he said.

He added that he presented remarks about the project, saying Algeria’s adherence could give an impression that its foreign policy deviated as it had always been based on supporting the Palestinian Cause.

“The idea can be discussed on two levels. The first one is related to economy. It can also be discussed as part of North-South dialogue. In this case, the initiative can not be limited in the Mediterranean Sea.”

Ibrahimi believes that the French minister’s suggestion was an anticipated concept of Sarkozy’s the Union for the Mediterranean project launched in 2008.