There are encouraging signs of the Libyan government adopting a more open attitude to the Euro-Med dialogue. It is the brainchild of Portugal, current holder of the union's rotating presidency, which fought the continent's most bitter colonial wars in Guinea-Bissau, Angola and Mozambique but now has the best relations with its former colonies. Only a month ago the event seemed destined for disaster or oblivion, because Morocco refused point blank to attend if the Western Saharans were there. African critics point out, however, that too much money has disappeared into the pockets of corrupt government officials, and accuse the European Commission of failing to keep tabs on its largesse. Social, economic and development issues are high on the Cairo agenda, as are debt relief and the fight against Aids, though the EU side has made it clear that it does not want a pledging conference.
Suspicions remain strong.
Only last month the EU and South Africa settled an acrimonious dispute that hinged largely on trivial questions about product names like grappa and ouzo, displaying a rich and self-satisfied trading bloc at its most selfish. Britain, represented in Cairo by Robin Cook, the foreign secretary, wants a sharp focus on conflict prevention - vital in a continent which still accounts for more than half the world's wars, draining resources from development projects and pouring them into refugee camps. Oxfam points to a sharp contrast between the EU's commitment to stopping violence in Kosovo and East Timor and the largely forgotten wars of Angola, Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The EU puts a far greater emphasis on fostering relations with the continent's giants, such as South Africa, Nigeria and the Maghreb countries.