Sarkozy and the Dream of Peace in the Middle East

France has had ambitions ever since the mandate of Valery Giscard d’Estaing to play a role in resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Everyone in the Middle East wishes for Europe, and especially France, to play this role, as it is traditionally less biased towards Israel. But everyone is also aware that only the US administration is able to pressure Israel.

Today, with the start of the annual meeting of the UN General Assembly, French President Nicolas Sarkozy will visit New York and meet with his friend Benjamin Netanyahu. Despite the failure of US Envoy George Mitchell in his mission with the Israelis, Sarkozy insists on holding a dialogue with Netanyahu in order to convince him of the necessity to suspend settlements. Sarkozy has informed a number of French newspaper directors he met around a week ago that his strict discourse towards Iran is due to his conviction that strictness with Iran will allow him to be strict with Israel.

Sarkozy is determined to prepare for a summit for the Union for the Mediterranean with President Hosni Moubarak in one of the French cities overlooking the Mediterranean in view of advancing peace. He suggested for the United States to participate in the summit. He also suggested the project to the President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas during his last visit to Paris more than a week ago. No one is objecting to Sarkozy’s suggestion, but everyone is advising him to be patient and wait for the results of the US mediation. But Sarkozy persists in seeking this summit, as he is contacting Israeli officials, from Shimon Perez to Netanyahu. He is also in contact with Syrian President Bashar Assad. He is keen on his relation with Syria, as he is convinced he will play a role on the Syrian-Israeli track. He is also in contact with Lebanese president Michel Sleiman and prime minister-designate Saad Hariri to know the reasons behind the delays in Lebanon. He wants to find solutions for the Lebanese situation through his new friendship with Syria.

And yet, despite all this, his wishes remain nothing but good-intentioned ambitions that are far from reality. President Barack Obama has started today to face a wave of criticism regarding his foreign policy that has not yet achieved his promises neither on the level of peace between Israelis and Palestinians nor on that of positive results in the dialogue with Iran. As long as things are obstructed on this level, it is difficult for the summit of the Union for the Mediterranean to relaunch the suspended peace wheel.

The French President is wagering on his special relation with Syria, as he considers that Syria has the key to the solutions in the Middle East. Not only does it influence the resolution of things in Lebanon, but also Hamas and the situation in Iraq. He is also wagering on the fact that the special relation with Syria keeps it away from Iran. He is wrong in this, just as he is wrong in considering Syria the key of the solution of all the suspended issues in the Middle East. Syria is adopting a policy that serves its interest first. The France of Sarkozy today is no different than the France of Chirac before Rafic Hariri’s assassination, as Chirac had opened all the doors to Syria, which did not do the same. Since the mandate of late French president Francois Mitterand, France’s policy towards Syria has been the same: sanctions then isolation then forgiveness then a honeymoon then disappointment. As for today, there is great hope by the French side that Syria will come up with the solutions and give France a role in the peace process with Israel. But the question is: what peace can be achieved with Israel’s occupation, its threats, oppression, and settlement building, and with Iran’s threats and efforts to own nuclear weapons.

We are grateful for the French president’s efforts, especially that his only meetings in New York are with the Chinese and Russian presidents and Netanyahu. He will focus on the peace process and on the necessity of being strict with Iran in order to prevent it from obtaining nuclear weapons. However, Sarkozy is not likely to succeed, as his relation with China is not at its best after he met with the dalai lama, and his relation with Medvedev is a good one, but Russia will not approve the increase of sanctions against Iran.

An observer can do nothing but hope for Sarkozy’s efforts to lead to a result, as he is seeking peace. However, there are doubts in light of the regional situation that was dubbed by late president Charles de Gaulle as being extremely complicated.