New Mediterranean Union Eyes Mideast Peace

The inaugural meeting yesterday of the Union of the Mediterranean, which brought together the 27 EU countries and their neighbors to the south, kicked off discussions about a number of mutual projects. But French President Nicolas Sarkozy used it as an opportunity to flex some diplomatic muscle by bringing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad out of isolation and by hosting a sit-down between Israeli PM Ehud Olmert and the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

"We are certain that a new page will open in this cooperation that will lead us toward more peace," said Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who co-chaired the summit with Sarkozy.The 43-member union brings together some 756 million people from Greenland to Jordan; goals also include developing solar energy and combating pollution in the Mediterranean, reports AFP.  (More Union for the Mediterranean stories.)