Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Paris on Monday to discuss reviving the Mediterranean Union initiative and the Middle East peace process, the French foreign ministry said.

Mubarak met with French Prime Minister Francois Fillon yesterday over lunch and is scheduled to speak with French President Nicolas Sarkozy Tuesday. No statement was released about Mubarak’s talk with Fillon.

Sarkozy and Mubarak’s discussion is expected to focus on “regional issues, the Middle East peace process and to assess the relaunch of the Mediterranean Union as well as the (G8) summit in L'Aquila,” the ministry said.

At the closing day of the G8 summit, Mubarak addressed leaders from Britain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia and the United States and eight African leaders. He asked the G8 to freeze repayments due on African loans to help the poor survive the global economic crisis.

President Sarkozy initiated the Mediterranean Union in July 2008 to unite EU members with non-EU member countries that border the Mediterranean Sea as a method to promote peace between Israel and its Muslim neighbors. Israel’s Operation Cast Lead in Gaza earlier this year, however, temporarily delayed progression on the Mediterranean Union.

Mediterranean Union talks resumed last month when environmental ministers, among them Israeli and Palestinian representatives, met in Paris to discuss plans to fight pollution, increase solar energy use, build highways, and cooperate on research and higher education.

Egypt has long been a supporter of the Mediterranean Union. Egypt, along with France, took the organization’s first co-presidency, a position still held today.

Ariel Goldring

© 2009 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)