25 Nov. 2002

Conference examines the evolution of the Mediterranean Dialogue An international conference on “Europe, the United States and the Mediterranean" brought together high-level officials, academics and members of the business community from NATO and Mediterranean Dialogue countries to discuss an ambitious agenda of issues covering all aspects of the evolution of the Mediterranean Dialogue. The conference was held in Barcelona, 22-24 November, and examined questions such as how to balance enlargement towards the East with cooperation with the South. It also focused on the impact of September 11 and of regional conflicts on the dialogue that NATO and the EU are developing with Mediterranean countries. In addition to the political and military aspects of cooperation, the economic, industrial and human dimensions were also addressed. Among the speakers were the Foreign Minister of Spain, Ana Palacio Vellelersundi, the Foreign Minister of Jordan, Shaher Bak, the Deputy Foreign Minister of Italy, Alfredo Luigi Mantica, the Political Advisor to the Egyptian President, Osama El-Baz, the Political Advisor to the President of Algeria, Abdellatif Benachenhou, the Political Advisor to the King of Morocco, Mohamed Kabbaj, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, Shlomo Ben-Ami and the former Minister of Economy of Turkey, Kemal Dervis. The conference was organised by the Aspen Institute, Italy, and the European Institute for the Mediterranean, and was co-sponsored by the NATO Office of Information and Press. More information: NATO's Mediterranean Dialogue "Europe, the United States and the Mediterranean", International Conference organised by the ASPEN Institute Italy and France with the Institut Català de la Mediterrània and co-sponsored by the NATO Office of Information and Press, in Barcelona. Agenda (.PDF/ 53Kb) List of Participants (.PDF/44Kb)