Today, the Mediterranean is on the frontlines, perhaps it is the frontline, of a global struggle for peace and development. In solving long-term conflicts, in achieving genuine development and reform, in all these ways, the Mediterranean is engaged in a great enterprise. The results will impact the entire world. And we who are on that frontline look to the friends of peace and freedom for support and partnership.
I would like to stress from the Greek point of view, the core challenge: ending the problem of Cyprus. Given the headlines from elsewhere in the region, some of you may wonder if this is, indeed, still at core of solving regional conflicts. Let me say that it remains central to the region, as well as the international agenda.
No other conflict has cast such long shadows on our globe, or been used to cause such division, or promoted such bitterness. The time has come to find a viable and long-lasting solution to the problem of Cyprus, in a way that could guarantee Mediterranean stability and serve as a precedent for solving other regional disputes, most prominently the Palestinian-Israeli one.
Greece supports a solution to the problem of Cyprus for a number of important geopolitical reasons. First, partition is not deemed beneficial for either country in the region. The 1947 Indo-Pakistani partition is a good example. Though accepted by both sides, it was accompanied by an arms race that has ultimately turned into a nuclear rivalry. Having this model in mind, it is not difficult to realize that an ongoing arms race in Cyprus would guarantee further instability in the wider region.
Another major concern of Greece is the possibility of the emergence of fundamental Islamic tides in Northern Cyprus. In the case of partition, radicalization of Islamic elements in Northern Cyprus as a result of economic or political unrest is a possible development that runs contrary to regional security.
Additionally, the possibility of the permanent division of the Cypriot capital will constitute a detrimental development for Israel and the Palestinians, as the current status in Nicosia is similar to the pre-1967 partition of Jerusalem. The Cyprus partition would constitute a bad precedent for the Israeli and Palestinian claims over an undivided Jerusalem, which is one of the major issues to be tackled in any final Arab–Israeli peace agreement. On the contrary, a federal solution would unite Nicosia and could strengthen Israel’s and the Palestinians’ case for a similar preferred position on the final status of Jerusalem.
Though in a different context, a shared rule arrangement in Cyprus could also be the model for a broader regional structure between Israel and its closest neighbours, namely the Palestinians and Jordan.
That said, it would be useful if more U.S. and European diplomacy were directed towards the Cyprus issue. An agreement on the political future of the island will undoubtedly have positive spill over effects for the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider region.
Bringing Greece, Israel, Cyprus, the Palestinians and possibly Turkey together would constitute a significant contribution to regional security. Peacemaking and multilateral cooperation is a step toward a regional future of hope. But it is only one step. The young people of the region know we need to revitalise the engines of peace to promote growth and real development.
When regional leaders talk to their youth, they can hear their energy and keenness and belief in the future. They are asking them to make a difference, to have the courage to make a difference, to act now to make a difference. They must respond...
Friday, March 21, 2008
Monday, March 17, 2008
Enriching the Middle East’s Future…
Success begins with an optimizing vision: what the Middle East can be, and must be, to meet the needs of the people: A region of peace, stability and prosperity.
After nearly seventy years of Arab-Israeli conflict, there is new international attention and willpower to end this long and destructive clash. With the support of the European Union, the United States and certain countries of the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians met in Annapolis and pledged all-out negotiations toward a peace treaty in 2008. What is really interesting is that in Annapolis, more than forty countries and organisations, some of which had refused to meet each other in the past, gathered at the same conference venue. A new olive branch has been planted. Now the real work must begin. It is a rare opportunity to effect change … to marshal global commitment and resources, and help create a new dynamic of hope in the Middle East.
We cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
We must act. And all of us have a contribution to make. The exceptional leaders of the wider region can bring insights, tools and strategies from the world's most vital sectors. They can build unparalleled bridges of understanding and progress. The challenge now, is to carry this work forward to success. The priorities identified must lead to action; action that will help create a sustainable and self-reinforcing peace.
It begins with new expectations - a vision of where the Middle East can be in ten years' time.
It is a vision of an expanding regional economy, whose resources and energies go into productive growth, not wasteful conflict, where cross-border partnerships and shared interests will create new synergies, and where smart investments in young people will expand access to opportunity. History shows that peace and progressive policies can create economic miracles in developing regions. This can happen in the Middle East.
It is a vision of an Israel that is at peace in the neighbourhood, and is part of the neighbourhood. History shows that long-time adversaries can define new relationships of peace and regional cooperation. This can happen in the Middle East.
And it is a vision of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, whose people are engaged in creating a future of prosperity and progress. In all history, global justice promises no less. This can, and this must, happen in the Middle East.
To the international community, the EU in particular, it is clear that we have an historic role and responsibility to stand behind a peace. The road to peace is no easier and in many ways it is harder than the road to war. Yet the road to peace is one that we must walk today. Our determination to achieve results will be critical to success - and it will send a global message about our values and leadership. One thing is certain. A political settlement will not endure if it does not deliver economic stability and greater well being. That, after all, is exactly what the EU is all about. It is the example in modern history of how political peace thrives on economic cooperation and integration.
It is true that since its inception in the fifties, the EU has placed a high priority on maintaining close and special relationship with its neighbours from the Middle East. This is a long-standing partnership which today is governed by the Euro-Mediterranean partnership now enhanced by the EU Neighbourhood Policy, and the EU’s relations with the countries of the Gulf with the main focus on energy and economic issues.
The EU has provided financial support, now running at nearly 1 billion euros a year, to economic, social and political reforms in the Middle East through tailor-made assistance programmes to each of the partners. In addition, regional programmes cover the promotion of intra-regional co-operation among the partners themselves in areas such as political issues, trade, infrastructure interconnection and sustainable development.
One of the main focus of this EU economic flow in the wider region is the support of the youth to remain in their home countries and thus, stem the flow of illegal migrants through the European Union's maritime borders. Addressing the issue of migration under the prism of security is indeed a challenge. Greece finds itself in the middle of a major migration route, being “a gate” for thousands of people who make their way by land and sea from the Middle East via Turkey and Greece to Italy and Western Europe. As it often happens, the “middle of the road” becomes the “de facto” end of the road for many of these desperate people who are in search of a better living. Thus, there is an actual need for a comprehensive approach from all of us to tackle illegal migration by diminishing the great differences in prosperity among the various countries, and of course the EU is ready to spread its knowledge, rationale and business success outside of its borders to neighbouring regions.
The challenges are certainly real. But it is because the stakes are so high, that we must seize every chance to make a difference. In the years ahead, the Middle East faces major requirements for development. Youth are more than fifty percent of the population; they are coming of age with high expectations for opportunity, for security, for respect. The means to respond are there. There is economic promise in IT, tourism, and more, increasing regional economic cooperation, and dynamic young leaders who are committed to the future.
All this can give us great confidence for the future of the Middle East. And that is vital for the entire global system, in which our expanded region plays such a strategic role.
Around the world, people want to know that the 21st century will deliver on its promise - that global justice is real; that opportunity is not just for a few. Some have despaired. Yet there is still great hope. We must respond.
After nearly seventy years of Arab-Israeli conflict, there is new international attention and willpower to end this long and destructive clash. With the support of the European Union, the United States and certain countries of the Middle East, Israelis and Palestinians met in Annapolis and pledged all-out negotiations toward a peace treaty in 2008. What is really interesting is that in Annapolis, more than forty countries and organisations, some of which had refused to meet each other in the past, gathered at the same conference venue. A new olive branch has been planted. Now the real work must begin. It is a rare opportunity to effect change … to marshal global commitment and resources, and help create a new dynamic of hope in the Middle East.
We cannot afford to miss this opportunity.
We must act. And all of us have a contribution to make. The exceptional leaders of the wider region can bring insights, tools and strategies from the world's most vital sectors. They can build unparalleled bridges of understanding and progress. The challenge now, is to carry this work forward to success. The priorities identified must lead to action; action that will help create a sustainable and self-reinforcing peace.
It begins with new expectations - a vision of where the Middle East can be in ten years' time.
It is a vision of an expanding regional economy, whose resources and energies go into productive growth, not wasteful conflict, where cross-border partnerships and shared interests will create new synergies, and where smart investments in young people will expand access to opportunity. History shows that peace and progressive policies can create economic miracles in developing regions. This can happen in the Middle East.
It is a vision of an Israel that is at peace in the neighbourhood, and is part of the neighbourhood. History shows that long-time adversaries can define new relationships of peace and regional cooperation. This can happen in the Middle East.
And it is a vision of a sovereign and viable Palestinian state, whose people are engaged in creating a future of prosperity and progress. In all history, global justice promises no less. This can, and this must, happen in the Middle East.
To the international community, the EU in particular, it is clear that we have an historic role and responsibility to stand behind a peace. The road to peace is no easier and in many ways it is harder than the road to war. Yet the road to peace is one that we must walk today. Our determination to achieve results will be critical to success - and it will send a global message about our values and leadership. One thing is certain. A political settlement will not endure if it does not deliver economic stability and greater well being. That, after all, is exactly what the EU is all about. It is the example in modern history of how political peace thrives on economic cooperation and integration.
It is true that since its inception in the fifties, the EU has placed a high priority on maintaining close and special relationship with its neighbours from the Middle East. This is a long-standing partnership which today is governed by the Euro-Mediterranean partnership now enhanced by the EU Neighbourhood Policy, and the EU’s relations with the countries of the Gulf with the main focus on energy and economic issues.
The EU has provided financial support, now running at nearly 1 billion euros a year, to economic, social and political reforms in the Middle East through tailor-made assistance programmes to each of the partners. In addition, regional programmes cover the promotion of intra-regional co-operation among the partners themselves in areas such as political issues, trade, infrastructure interconnection and sustainable development.
One of the main focus of this EU economic flow in the wider region is the support of the youth to remain in their home countries and thus, stem the flow of illegal migrants through the European Union's maritime borders. Addressing the issue of migration under the prism of security is indeed a challenge. Greece finds itself in the middle of a major migration route, being “a gate” for thousands of people who make their way by land and sea from the Middle East via Turkey and Greece to Italy and Western Europe. As it often happens, the “middle of the road” becomes the “de facto” end of the road for many of these desperate people who are in search of a better living. Thus, there is an actual need for a comprehensive approach from all of us to tackle illegal migration by diminishing the great differences in prosperity among the various countries, and of course the EU is ready to spread its knowledge, rationale and business success outside of its borders to neighbouring regions.
The challenges are certainly real. But it is because the stakes are so high, that we must seize every chance to make a difference. In the years ahead, the Middle East faces major requirements for development. Youth are more than fifty percent of the population; they are coming of age with high expectations for opportunity, for security, for respect. The means to respond are there. There is economic promise in IT, tourism, and more, increasing regional economic cooperation, and dynamic young leaders who are committed to the future.
All this can give us great confidence for the future of the Middle East. And that is vital for the entire global system, in which our expanded region plays such a strategic role.
Around the world, people want to know that the 21st century will deliver on its promise - that global justice is real; that opportunity is not just for a few. Some have despaired. Yet there is still great hope. We must respond.
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