Leaders from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East have launched a Union for the Mediterranean - Je 14.07.2008 8 UTC

Leaders from Europe, North Africa and the Middle East have launched a Union for the Mediterranean. The organization - which will include 42 member countries - is modelled along the lines of the European Union and was conceived by its current president, French leader Nicolas Sarkozy. The inaugural meeting in Paris featured some unusual encounters, with Syrian and Israeli leaders, for example, sitting down at the same table for the first time.