[Xinhua-China ] Zhang Yanyang - After French President Nicolas Sarkozy's visit to Israel, former Israeli ambassador Freddy Eytan, who heads the Israel-Europe project at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, sees Sarkozy's initiative to create a Mediterranean Union in hopes of fortifying ties with North-African states, several of which are opposed to Israel's involvement in the union, as a great initiative for economic cooperation which can serve as a basis for political stability. "It is important to have an economic project joining people," he said. "When you have economic cooperation, it is easier to find common ground politically." Eytan believes, however, that Sarkozy's proposal to divide Jerusalem between Israel and a Palestinian state is unrealistic. "No Israeli government, either the left or the right constituencies, would support a one capital, two-state solution," Eytan said. "Any government would be opposed to this formula."
2008-06-26 01:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive