Egyptian and Syrian presidents threaten to boycotts ummit over Lieberman presence
11 May 2010
Presidents Mubarak and Assad of Egypt and Syria have reportedly threatened to boycott an upcoming international summit in Barcelona, Spain if Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman participates. Lieberman told Israeli radio he would nonetheless attend the Mediterranean leaders' conference in June. He added that if Mubarak and Assad chose not to attend, it would be their problem.
The conference is taking place as part of the Union for the Mediterranean, an European Union-sponsored initiative to promote cooperation between the EU and Mediterranean states. A previous summit of foreign ministers planned for Istanbul in 2009 was canceled after Egypt and other Arab states announced that they would boycott it if Lieberman was present.
A 2008 Paris summit of Mediterranean heads of state, organized by French President Nicolas Sarkozy, was attended by then-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and a number of Arab leaders.
The Union for the Mediterranean consists of all the EU member states and 21 countries bordering Mediterranean Sea, or close by, which are participating in the Euromediterranean Partnership. The idea is to develop and improve economic and political ties between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East.
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World Jewish Congress Secretary General Dan Diker speaks on the upcoming debate at the United Nations about the unilateral declaration of statehood by the Palestinians.
