European would not admit the failure of Barcelona Process, which was supposed to create a partnership framework between the European Union and its neighbors of Mediterranean countries.

Our perception in the region that this process is significantly failed, especially in terms of democracy and human rights included in this process. Eventually, it did not create a real and effectual partnership, cooperation or even coordination between the EU and Mediterranean countries the parties of this process in more than 10-years duration is its life.

Therefore, when Sarkozy of France proposed the “Union for Mediterranean” we welcomed and appreciated this step and this project hoping to achieve what Barcelona Process failed to achieve, especially it was considered as a revival of the principles of this process.

After the hard approval of major European countries, especially Germany, the Union for Mediterranean began its way to reality as the drafting of basic documents of this new assembly and the discussions with prospected party countries began.

After the preliminary steps of creating this new framework and initial meeting, compromises and statements, we could not find the supposed basic difference between the Union for Mediterranean and Barcelona Process. Besides, the change this new assembly is supposed to create in the inactive partnership process established by Barcelona Process is not found as well.

In particular, the democratic essence of this new assembly is absent, and the actual emphasis on human rights is not established. Therefore, no one can suggest that this new assembly is for advancing democracy and improving human rights situations in the Mediterranean party countries.

Hence, until this early but basic stage in the life the Union for Mediterranean we cannot be decisive on the significance of this assembly, which is not clear yet. Actually, there is one fact can be extracted from this Sarkozy initiative and its early application that it is a step forward for normalization between some key Arab countries and Israel. This is what Arabs used to name ‘free normalization’.

As Arabs supported the principle of normalization with Israel and previously offered it for peace in their peace initiative, so it is a mutual concern between them and Israel and does not need this Sarkozy or his suspicious, implicit and deceiving initiatives.

Hence, we, as our European neighbors, still need a real partnership across the Mediterranean based on active broad cooperation and intended to advance democracy and improve the human rights situation in this interdependent region.