Sarkozy, Mubarak see role for Mediterranean Union in Mideast talks

Aug 30, 2010, 15:16 GMT

Paris - French President Nicolas Sarkozy and his Egyptian counterpart, Hosny Mubarak, said Monday in Paris that the Mediterranean Union (UPM) could yet become an important factor in finding a peace settlement in the Mideast.

'We have proposed, with President Mubarak, that a Mediterranean Union summit could take place in mid-November, at which all the parties necessary for obtaining peace in the Mideast would participate,' Sarkozy said following a meeting with Mubarak.

For his part, the Egyptian president said such a summit would 'reinforce the relaunch' of the peace process and help US negotiators tackle complex issues such as the highly controversial construction of Israeli settlements in Palestinian territory.

France and Egypt co-chair the Mediterranean Union, which was founded in 2008, but has not held a single summit since then because of the frozen Mideast peace process.

Mubarak came to Paris for talks with Sarkozy before continuing on to Washington, where he will take part in Mideast peace talks scheduled to begin on Thursday.

Both leaders argued for more direct European Union participation in the peace process.

'Everyone is needed to obtain results,' Sarkozy said.

Mubarak said he would have preferred to see 'a certain number of European presidents' as well as the representatives from the so- called Mideast Quartet at the negotiating table in Washington.

The Quartet consists of the European Union, the United States, the United Nations and Russia.