H.E. THE PRESIDENT ADDRESSES THE VARIOUS SIGNATORIES OF THE EMERGENCY PROTOCOL TO THE BARCELONA CONVENTION - THE PALACE, VALLETTA

In his address to the various signatories, and in the presence of the Hon. Minister for the Environment, Dr. Francis Zammit Dimech, H.E. Prof. Guido de Marco, President of Malta, highlighted the importance of the Mediterranean. The Mediterranean has always been a route of trade such that at present 30% of world shipping uses this route.

H.E. Prof. Guido de Marco also spoke about the historic adoption of the Convention on the Law of the Sea in 1992. The late Arvid Pardo, Malta's first Permanent Representative to the United Nations had initiated this process. H.E. the President referred to the importance of controlling pollution in the Mediterranean Sea and praised the various initiatives, conventions and agreements aimed at its control.

The President said that the signing of the Emergency protocol to the Barcelona Convention is a further step towards our joint contribution to the Mediterranean Sea region by indeed committing ourselves in a policy for pollution control.

The President spoke about how the awareness of the problems of the region and the interlocking of events in Europe and the Mediterranean led to Malta proposing, in the Helsinki I Conference for Security and Cooperation in Europe in 1975, what later became known as the Mediterranean basket. The concept of security has evolved into a concept of stability. The Environment issue does contribute to the stability dimension.

The President then made reference to the political situation in the Mediterranean. He stressed that the problems in the Mediterranean are reaching alarming proportions.

We are risking turning the Mediterranean in a great divide. It is imperative that the Mediterranean be put on the front burner on the international political agenda. The protocol signed today is a small step in this direction but the political dimension has to be addressed more forcefully by the interested countries.