Bush pointing the way forward for Europe

The Economist: “President Bush managed to push his controversial Central American Free Trade Agreement through the lower house of America's Congress in the early hours of Thursday. This small victory for free trade means the outlook for the much bigger and more important Doha round of world trade talks is less gloomy than it was—but only slightly”

It was a close call for Bush facing opposition both from Republican and Democrat benches. Now Americans have NAFTA and CAFTA, but what has Europe got to do with it? What is to stop Europe from putting a Mediterranean Free Trade Agreement (MEFTA) in place? Manifold potential benefits arising as a consequence of trading include rising standards of living in generally shabby North African countries thus not only helping the poor but also alleviating the pressure of illegal immigration on Europe.

We should also be looking beyond the material benefits. Let us not forget commerce is an inherent part of the spirit of Berbers, Jews and Arabs so MEFTA could become a powerful engine behind efforts to bring peace into this crisis prone region.