Mare Nostrum
The concept of inter-cultural dialogue between European Union and Mediterranean Basin countries was stressed at a top-level conference this week in Alexandria. Gamal Nkrumah attended
On Monday, a high-level advisory group met in Alexandria to present proposals for renewing inter-cultural dialogue between European Union member states and the Mediterranean Basin countries through education and the media. The group's fifth meeting runs concurrently with the EU's Tempus-MEDA regional conference.
Appropriately, the iconic venue chosen for the meeting was the Bibliotheca Alexandrina. Mrs Suzanne Mubarak officially opened the conference and delivered its keynote address. The Director of the Alexandria Library Ismail Serageldin introduced the other speakers -- the President of the European Commission Romano Prodi and Minister of Higher Education Moufid Shehab.
Mrs Mubarak emphasised the importance of inter-cultural dialogue, highlighting the role played by higher education in fostering closer ties between nations. "Educated young people constitute the backbone of any cultural dialogue or scientific cooperation among nations," she told participants at the opening session of the two-day conference. Higher education is the vehicle for the cross-fertilisation of ideas, she said, opening young minds to other cultures.
Mrs Mubarak said that the Mediterranean should become a crossroads for inter-cultural exchange and dialogue.
"The Mediterranean Sea was the arena in which many battles were fought during different historical epochs in the past. Marauding military fleets have roamed the Mediterranean during times of war and conflict," she said. "We who currently live on the beautiful shores of the Mediterranean Sea must now make it a forum for the exchange of ideas and dialogue, for greater cooperation and solidarity among the peoples of the Mediterranean and for the realisation of peace, stability and prosperity for the fulfillment of the aspirations of the nations who live in the Mediterranean Basin."
Mrs Mubarak said that the destinies of the civilisations that evolved around the Mediterranean Sea have been inextricably intertwined throughout history. She pointed to the cultural borrowings and the close ties that bound the Roman, Greek and Phoenician civilisations to the Egyptians in antiquity. Mrs Mubarak said that these ancient ties left an indelible mark on the national psyches of the peoples of the Mediterranean Basin and influenced cultural and socio-economic developments in the region.
Prodi concurred. The Romans called the Mediterranean Mare Nostrum (Our Sea). How that possessive pronoun was meant is not entirely clear, but Prodi insisted that for the Romans the Mediterranean was a space to be shared with all the peoples who live on its shores.
Prodi spoke of a "Euro- Mediterranean partnership with our neighbours on an equal footing." He explicitly rejected the "one-sided, Eurocentric approach". However, he did concede that the policy involved Mediterranean countries embracing certain European values such as human rights, strengthening the role of women in society, encouraging free media and allowing civil society to play a decisive role in the decision-making processes. "This [European approach to dialogue with Europe's neighbours] also implies the universal recognition of values and principles on which European integration in particular has been based," Prodi said.
Prodi outlined his "proximity policy" for good neighbourliness based on multilateralism and peaceful persuasion, not coercion or unilateralism.
He went on to voice the concern of many Europeans as regards the violence posed by terrorism and counter- terrorism. "In these dark days of violence and terror, we -- on the Mediterranean's African, Asian and European shores -- cannot let the extremes get the upper hand. We cannot let the politics of violence set the pace."
"We in Europe have turned our backs on extremism in politics. Because extremism breeds more extremism and violence brings only more violence. We have sought to break the cycle of violence, of reprisals and counter- reprisals," Prodi explained. "The peoples of Europe do not believe in any clash of civilisations. European public opinion is united in its rejection of that myth. We Europeans want peace and dialogue."
Prodi also expressed deep concern over the stalling of the Middle East peace process. In an oblique reference to the wall erected by the Israeli in the Palestinian occupied territories, Prodi alluded to recent European history. "When the Berlin Wall fell, we in Europe decided we did not want to erect new walls." He stressed that dialogue and the peaceful resolution of problems through negotiations is the only guarantor of lasting peace. "We [in Europe] have learned that security does not come with higher walls or deadlier weapons, but with stronger, more stable relations based on peace and prosperity."
Prodi said that Europe wanted to be surrounded by a "ring of friends" with whom "we can share all the benefits of membership". Prodi stressed the importance of adhering to the notion of "soft security", one which strengthens economic and social relations and involves civil society and good governance. "We want to develop an area of prosperity and stability based on shared values and the principle of economic integration."
Prodi spoke of the EU spreading the "four freedoms -- free circulation of goods, capital, services and people". He said that the experience of peaceful integration in Europe over the past 50 years cannot be adopted piecemeal by other countries, but that it can be used as an example to show that former bitter enemies can work together, co- operate closely and even unite. The EU, he said, wants to "strengthen good governance, respect for human rights and individual freedoms, the rule of law and participatory institutions" in the countries surrounding it, especially in the Mediterranean Basin. "This is the substance of our political offer. We are willing to help."
Prodi assured the participants that the EU does not want to dictate terms or adopt a paternalistic approach. "We want to strengthen our political and human bonds and cooperation in a broad range of fields," he said.
Prodi also said that Europe could play an intermediary role between the southern Mediterranean Basin countries and the United States and other powers. "As your neighbour, Europe can bridge the gap between this region and the rest of the world," he said.
Exuberant, Prodi said that, "It would be a grave mistake to neglect the Mediterranean, the cradle of European civilisation, as we build a new Europe." He announced that five million euros will be allocated to the Euro-Mediterranean Foundation for Inter-Cultural Dialogue. Another five million euros will be donated by the Mediterranean countries to the aforementioned foundation, which should be operational by 2004. Prodi stressed that it would be independent and non-governmental. He also expressed hope for the speedy establishment of a Euro-Mediterranean bank, as a subsidiary of the European Investment Bank.
Moroccan intellectual Assia Alaoui- Bensalah, the co-chair of the high-level advisory group, presented the group's 20 proposals for renewing inter-cultural dialogue. She said that the proposals took into account the actual realities of the Mediterranean Basin. She stressed the importance of the "pedagogy of diversity" and divided the Mediterranean region into "the haves" and "the have- nots".
The key question for Europe's neighbours to the immediate south is whether Europe can emerge from the shadow of the United States. Egyptian lawyer and academician Ahmed Kamal Abul- Magd, a member of the high-level advisory group, said that there was a discrepancy between the goodwill ambassadors and those in power in Europe. He warned of the growing spread of insecurity among all cultures. He argued that the disappearance of checks and balances and the emergence of the US as the sole superpower has led to much of the current insecurity.
