ABSTRACT
The forces of globalization and interdependence, and the reduction of the European nuclear arsenal, the Euro-Mediterranean Partnership (EMP) is a prime arena for the stockpiling and deployment of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD). The objectives of this comment are to delineate the main issues involved in the question of WMD within the EMP framework, identify the main approaches advocated by different parties, and suggest certain modalities for dealing with the issue. The intention is not to defend the Arab approaches to the issue, but to identify a policy framework based on explicitly-stated assumptions, goals, and concepts, and to draw from it certain inferences concerning future directions of the EMP in the area of WMD. The issue of WMD within the framework of the EMP poses major problems which make it difficult to achieve the objectives spelled out in the Barcelona Declaration and which also call for an innovative approach to deal with them.
