The  MEDITERRANEAN  CONFERENCE COMEN International Association and Permanent Working Group for the Promotion of Cultural Centrality, the Exploitation of Common Resources and Quality of Life  in the Mediterranean Area

COMEN, its origin
In October 1993, at Kamarina (Sicily), on the occasion of the Mediterranean International Meeting promoted by Mediterranean Foundation  a large number of institution representatives public and private structures, universities, companies, and diplomats, scientists and observers reached an International Agreement for the establishment of an International Working Group, wholly taken up with  important issues of  the Mediterranean Area.
COMEN - Mediterranean Conference had its origin in Rome on January  the 22nd 1994, has its central seat and international coordination in Roma. Its organizing structure is formed by a General Assembly, a General Council and an Executive Committee (in addition to the Board of auditors).
Moreover, a RPM Committee (see forward) has been founded as official member of COMEN.
COMEN was born to let its own human, creative, cultural-scientific, managerial resources be working in order to succeed in its social undertaking.
It is interested in important issues of the Mediterranean Area and wants to represent a meeting place of the  experiences and a ferment of ideas, plans and proposals to Governments disposal and Meediterranean Countries institutions.
Among the statutary purposes of COMEN (International non political, areligiouse, no-profit Association) comes out an original and permanent experience of international co-operation among structures,  representative subjects, public and private bodies  working in the field of culture, science, environmental protection, human health, social economy and strategies for the rational use of resources; to give body to each initiative considered useful to the achievement of the Mediterranean Area Culture, in defence and utilization of cultural and environmental resources, and to improve the quality of life (art.2nd, COMEN Statute).

 
 

The Mediterranean  Intercultural Colloquies are held under the patronage of the Presidency of the Sicilian Region and the International Association COMEN-Mediterranean Conference. The Colloquies will take place at Castello Utveggio and Palazzo d'Orleans, Palermo (November 1998).  They will gather numerous reperesentatives from the cultural and scientific world of the Mediterranean Countries.  The main theme will be devoted to Human Rights and the settlement of interethnic and interreligious conflicts with a view to a new era of peace and development in the Mediterranean basin, the cradle of the civilization of our planet.

Here is a few interesting reports in English

Competitive trends in the wake of internationalisation
and globalisation of Mediterranean cities
Michel Sudarskis, Secretary General INTA-AIVN (1)

The cities, more than the countryside reflected the Mediterranean societies; the cities on both sides now bear the brunt of the economic recession. The construction boom is over, the property market is depressed and will continue to slide down for a while, the recession has cut spending habits and consumption patterns, the tide of people moving from villages to cities will slow down (a positive factor) but many city inhabitants will find themselves jobless thus creating political and social tensions.

The Urban crisis
The crisis is forcing both political and economic decision makers to realise that some old system does not work and that reform is on the agenda. There is a need to reform not only the economy and the financial system , but to introduce governance and transparency in all aspects of social life, in particular at city level

What structural reform does cities need and how can it best go about them, what are the obstacles and what are the chances of success? Lessons from successful or even mitigated experiences of urban development show the need for a multi-criteria approach combining physical, economic, urban, environmental and social elements supported by sound management attitude.
Most countries have set policies to come to grip with the contribution of urban development to confidence and prosperity. There are obviously different approaches based on cultural and administrative history, but also a common recognition that there is either a danger, or a potential - an opportunity - for the country, for the people, to have decent urban life; no longer policy makers and urban actors can show a benign neglect attitude towards urban policy and city management.

There is also a common recognition that overcoming planing requires :

•  the capacity to anticipate the moment and the causes (the turning points) of the decline in urban development;
•  the capacity to correct errors and shift policy directions;
•  the capacity to integrate urban policies into a coherent sustainable development policy.

Globalisation and internationalisation
The dynamics or urban development have become associated with some significant trends :
• continued urban sprawl and inner city decline,
• premature writing off of the existing built environment,
• under utilisation of urban land and existing infrastructure
• differential tax levels and tax base between city and suburbs,
• under-pricing of services and infrastructure at the suburban margins (subsidising suburban development such s new towns) and absence of an effective mechanism for allocating external costs and benefits of suburban development and inner city decline over the entire urban region (metropolitan area),
• disinvestment in the built environment reducing the capacity of local governments to provide the necessary social services and infrastructure .

These dynamics trends are amplified by the effect of globalisation and internationalisation. Globalisation has a deep impact on the restructuring of territories and of cities in particular as the performance of cities and regions is increasingly affected by the processes and forces external to their geographical areas; urban restructuring in the context of globalisation is marked by several trends :
• increased internationalisation of metropolitan regions in terms of both labour and capital;
• changing power relations between the public and private sectors, mirrored in deregulation of planning and acute competition to attract foreign investment; public private partnership has emerged as leading instrument in urban development, especially in urban regeneration. The role of the market in creating and managing urban infrastructure is being recognised; privatisation of urban services, private enterprise and capital take over traditionally "public" urban and interurban infrastructure and services;
• de-industrialisation and growth of command and control (information and services) functions in central parts of a few global cities (London, New York, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tokyo... The development pressure on central areas continues, their density increase, the cluster of services, financial and highly profitable urban functions continue to expand, replacing less economically viable activities such as social housing;
• technological innovation facilitates the dispersal and decentralisation of urban activities, increase networking, mixed land-use patterns, clustering of urban functions along transport corridors and consolidation of inner city areas. Technology and transport policy have significant impacts on development pattern and urban environment:

-transport corridors are in competition with other land uses and activities such as housing, recreation and echo protection. increased personal mobility has facilitated the growth of the suburbs; with the rise in car ownership, urban sprawl and decentralisation of urban functions more highways are likely to be built, improved or expanded;
- few types of technologies are becoming essential development factors: those increasing productivity and flexibility in the production process; those accelerating transactions -just in time inventory control systems- with impact on companies' location and organisational policies; circulation technologies bringing a wider geographical market within the range of local business activities;

Against this background of globalisation how the various urban players position themselves vis-à-vis the State and civil society, i.e. citizens' associations, poverty alleviation and other social issues.
The current model of development is based on the partnership between government and business and state involvement in the economy; this strategy was needed and I believe is still needed, to built adequate living environment for the growing population, to undertake large infrastructure projects and to mobilise local capital for those development programmes: Asian cities have shown what can be achieved when the government provides the overall policies and directions laying the foundation with infrastructure (education in south east Asia); then government-linked companies (statutory boards in Singapore, development corporations elsewhere) spearhead the investment and invite private sector participation.
The question is would this strategy of government backed development be as effective in the challenge of global competition and rapid innovation as it was in the earlier phases of development?
I would be cautious about the anti state bias and neo liberal economic thinking as advocated by global finance institutions in the effort to surmount the crisis: I favour an end to government role as an active player in the economy, competing for capital and imposing development sectors or programmes; I favour the move of the State to do more as an enforcer of a more transparent regulatory framework which would form part of the institutional foundation for business activity. I also recognise, as needed in our Mediterranean societies, the primacy of collective over individuals, as an antidote to the rampaging individualism which various groups try to push over Mediterranean societies.

Culture and integration
Mediterraneanís cultural heritage is an expression of its identity, a world asset characterised by great richness and diversity. The cultural and natural heritage is also an economic asset of growing importance, reinforcing the need for protection, careful management and development. In particular, it is recognised that the environmental quality of towns and cities, as well as of the surrounding areas, is increasingly a location factor in mobile investment.  Decisions on the location of new economic activities (especially those employing highly skilled labour) are taking into account, with greater frequency, the quality of life and environment - which includes both the presence of a well preserved natural and cultural heritage and easy access to it.

Conservation and creative management of the urban cultural heritage
The richness of Mediterranean urban heritage is no less impressive than the diversity of its regional landscapes. The urban heritage is a valuable asset in projecting Mediterranean culture across the whole region, a symbolic value that is creating its greatest threat. Considerable investment needs to be made in safeguarding outstanding historical ensembles, while urban landscapes ought to be remodelled on the basis of a coherent strategy which is not dominated solely by the past.
Many of Mediterranean’s cities and towns possess extensive sites of historical heritage of great value that are subject to a slow process of degradation. Despite substantial funds spent on maintenance and restoration, the trend has not been halted (Tunisia, Morocco, Adriatic coast). To prevent irreparable losses, where this is still possible, proactive conservation programmes need to be started. The states who signed the Grenada Convention of 3 October 1985 to safeguard architectural heritage have committed themselves to adopting an evolutionary approach, i.e. to preserve the heritage and ensure its maintenance as well as to respond to the needs of modern society ñ in other words to promote the so-called ìintegrated conservationî.

Mediterraneanís urban heritage does not only consist of outstanding ensembles: its towns and cities represent places of intense social life and cultural events. The lifestyles of towns and cities must be considered in their entirety as a part of cultural heritage, and their integrity needs to be preserved.  Many towns and cities are exposed to severe pressures of commercialism and cultural uniformity that remove individuality and identity.  These include real estate speculation, the construction of over-large infra-structural projects, and adaptations to mass tourism. Often they have the effect of seriously disrupting the structure and social life of cities. An adequate response to these pressures needs to be found through development strategies that include, in particular, physical planning and land-use policy.

Modern and innovative buildings should not be regarded, per se, as intrusions but, instead, as potential additions to the urban heritage. However, in many situations, the very best architectural creations turn out to be isolated successes, often accompanied by other developments which diminish the quality of the urban environment rather than enriching it.  It is very rare to see groups of buildings being created in harmony with a contemporary urban design vision. In the city as in the countryside, the landscape is often the result of random and uncoordinated interventions: policies for the creative management of the urban landscape are only emerging slowly. Yet they are necessary, especially in towns and cities where the deterioration of both visual amenity and the quality of the built environment has reached the stage of dissuading people from living and investing there.

Policy options are but few:
(a). proactive strategies for integrated conservation in areas where the urban cultural heritage is at risk or becoming degraded,
(b). development of strategies to control the pressures on the urban cultural heritage generated by tourism, real-estate speculation and infra-structural provision,
(c)  remodelling, in a creative way, coherent groups of buildings situated in towns and cities undergoing degradation of their urban landscape.

Today the capacity to generate symbols which function in cities is weak:  symbols are generated by private corporations with their own commercial objectives; therefore, the crucial question is how to generate less transient, more enduring urban symbols? Culture and identity are parts of the answer.

Culture and Social Cohesion
Social integration expresses the level of interaction between different social groups in society, distinguished either by age, income, education, habitat, language, culture or nationality. In a spatial context, social problems such as social segregation or exclusion - often associated with high unemployment - reduce social cohesion within and between (especially urban) areas which in turn reduces economic opportunities.
In urban crisis situations, traditional networks of solidarity and social cohesion take second place, but continue to function: the rural exodus can coexist with community networks, and infrastructure modernisation can combine with social control by notabilities (local elite) or the educated. Towns and cities are no longer isolated: they are part of the social system, at national, regional or international levels. Therefore, the key problem is the functioning of the urban system.

The return of community based urban societies is not a revival of communitarism (parochial attitudes and modes of management): rather, they are contemporary responses to the crisis affecting the social and political control systems put in place by nationalism and the cult of the state. Through cuts in social expenditure, which used to be a powerful factor of national cohesion, and the renunciation of large infrastructure and development projects, forcing young people en masse into unemployment, many Mediterranean states have left the field wide open to revolt in all its forms, ranging from violence to assertions of identity and community values. The crisis affecting states and the failure of models of development, unity and policies have highlighted the gradual re-appropriation of power and legitimacy by community networks. The economy has been taken over by entrepreneurs who aspire to replace the state in many areas, while strongly asking for state support. Meanwhile, those formerly "subject to" the tutelary state have been demanding more autonomy. Transcending traditional social links, the development of voluntary organisations heralds the laying of the foundations of a new citizenship: cultural movements (the Berbers), women's associations, neighbourhood charities (Egypt), regional movements (Italy), autonomous trade unions, etc. are all signs of a deep urge to reform the contemporary state

The revival of community solidarity has restored the importance of local life. In spite of this, the rural culture, which is so proud of its particular values that are different from urban values, has been dying out (Sicily, Egypt, the Maghreb). In many ways, community based urban societies are modern, even when they use traditional language and concepts as part of a very political approach. As a result, communities are no longer what they used to be: they are no longer the key constituents of civil society, i.e. recognised organisations, featuring representative bodies controlled by local notabilities (Sicily). They are now versatile entities capable of mobilising ancient networks, but to achieve other goals and, above all, to use other means of social control (Islamism).
The city is no longer seen as a whole: it is subdivided into a multiplicity of constituent parts (neighbourhoods and communities). At the same time, the city has found a meaningful existence only through enhanced awareness of its regional or even international dimensions. But it must also be placed in the context of its environment: hence, for example, the interest in exchanges between Mediterranean towns and cities, which have shared the same development horizon for several centuries .

Policy measures
In terms of policy measures I feel that several aspects of spatial planning should prevail today:
• the need to equip territorial units (regions, provinces, etc.) with the essential public services which can be greatly improved,
• a more even distribution of wealth,
• the need to invest in infrastructure  and transport network,
• aids to small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs in Italy and in Mediterranean countries certainly have cushioned the impact  of the financial crisis in the region)
• the necessary consultation and active participation of citizens, interested associations and experts before spatial planning policies are defined; for this purpose local and regional levels of decisions (decentralisation) are the most appropriate levels at which to promote a democratic (participatory) spatial planning policy and the most suitable for bringing coherence to territorial development in keeping with the real demands of the population concerned.

These policy measures can be embodied in the concept of territorial cohesion. It is imperative for territorial units to reorganise in view of the globalisation of economy and territorial cohesion provides a policy enabling territories to adapt to changes; this is consistent with the need to strike a balance between free market and physical planning; but the concern is not just territorial problems but also the need to address economic and above all social policy issues; the technical analysis must henceforth be directed also at solving the unemployment and poverty problems.
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1 - INTA is an International Association of public and private organisations and individuals dedicated to promoting and improving urban development. Members include elected representatives, government agencies, local authorities, public and private development corporations, financial institutions, land developers, planning and renewal agencies, real estate societies, investors, architects, engineers, planners, builders and contractors, researchers and scholars.
INTA focuses its programme on shaping appropriate policy for urban development. This encompasses effective planning, financing and management of the entire urban development and regeneration processes, including strategic and community planning, new towns development, housing, retailing and office business, tourism, science parks, culture, transportation and general economic promotion, etc. The Association promotes the sharing of information and experience through conferences, study tours, the publication of documentation and advisory services on urban development issues.
European spatial development perspective, Meeting of ministers responsible for spatial planning of the member states of the European union, Noordwijk, June  1997
  See Marc Lavergne "Nouvelles territorialitès, nouvelles identitès dans le monde arabe" in Le Courrier du CNRS n? 87 Villes
  See Robert Ilbert, "Villes mèditerranèennes en mouvement". Id.

The“Status Quo”
and the Religious Communities
of Jerusalem
Enrico Molinaro, The "Minerva Center for Human Rights", Hebrew University of Jerusalem

Abstract of the presentation for the Conference “Mediterranean III Millennium. Intercultural Colloquia among Countries Sharing the Same Shore” (COMEN, Palermo, November, 1998)

The Mediterranean is a space characterized by an environment and by a particular ecosystem that helped develop special anthropologic features. These characteristics, during centuries of a complex and sometimes troublesome history, gave birth to cultural phenomena rich in interesting peculiarities.
 The Mediterranean peoples, who had been living in contact for centuries, exchanging knowledge and influencing each other reciprocally, indeed developed clear similarities in the architectural, linguistic, nutritional, musical and even religious traditions.
In this latter field, since the period of the Arab-Islamic rule, the traditional tolerance towards the faithful of the other two monotheistic religions (the “Dimmhi”) started to develop in the Mediterranean area. This attitude gave birth, under the Ottoman Empire, to original legal solutions such as the Millet (where the religious communities enjoyed wide administrative autonomy), or the principle of personal jurisdiction (in particular in the field of family law and succession) as well as the “status quo” in the Holy Places of Jerusalem.

 Status quo  is a familiar expression of diplomatic and political language as well as of the legal literature. It literally means the situation as it is, and it denotes the preservation of the existing state of affairs. In particular, in State practice as well as in the theory of international law the expression started to be used mainly in connection with the legal effects of war. It was concerned especially with the question of whether after the termination of a state of war the "status quo ante bellum" was considered restored (corresponding to the jus post-liminii of the Roman law) or whether the actual state of possession of the belligerents at the time of the cessation of hostilities was to be considered as the legal basis of a new "status quo post bellum" (or “status quo nunc ”), at least in so far as a peace treaty did not provide otherwise.

 In international law the term "status quo" is used as a reference either to complex of international facts of life ("status quo de facto", which, in order to justify the word "status", must be more than an occasional conglomerate of changing facts, but must show a minimum of a stable structure) or to a certain legal situation ("status quo de jure", which, even if the facts do not correspond to the law, is always linked to a factual situation)  .
As to the Jerusalem question, study reveals that the practice of the different territorial powers who administered the territory under examination vis-à-vis the special privileges, immunities, or exemptions granted to the religious communities present in Jerusalem was rather coherent and often went far beyond the standard of similar rights granted by the majority of the other countries in the world in the context of freedom of religion and worship.

 Following the conflicting claims of the different Christian communities, the Ottoman government promulgated a set of Firmans (Imperial decrees) trying to impose a temporary truce over the disputes on the respective rights and interests with regard to several important Christian sacred sites , through a crystallization of the situation. This kind of arrangement, substantially reaffirmed  by the various Ottoman Sultans, has since been known as the "Status Quo " in the Holy Places.
 In other words, the Status Quo became a sort of truce imposed by the civil power upon the Christian communities, which embodied a legal regime enacted in order to divide space and time for the use and possession of the Holy Places between the aforementioned religious communities.

One may say that, in this context, the main international obligation, if any, on the part of the territorial authority, stems from a special application of the principle of non-interference, which thus became a corollary of the Status Quo in the Holy Places.
The expression "status quo", when related to the religious dimension of the Jerusalem question may also refer to another, broader, meaning . It may include all the norms applying to the relationship between the religious communities and the territorial authority.
 The "status quo", in this respect, relates to all aspects and established principles embodied in the regulations enacted by the Ottoman Empire vis-à-vis the different religious communities, including the ways of worship, access and pilgrimage to the main places of worship within Jerusalem or in its immediate proximity of significant importance for the followers of the three monotheistic religions.
 The aforementioned religious dimension of the city constitutes indeed its internationally recognized "unique and sacred character", to use a concept reaffirmed during the recent Symposium of Presidents and Delegates of Catholic Bishops’ Conferences on Jerusalem, held in the city on October 26-27, 1998.
Such special principles applicable to the Holy Places of Jerusalem, indeed, may represent an original legal contribution that the peoples from the area gave in the field of freedom of religion.

We all know that the universal principles on the human rights, including freedom of religion, find their origin in the specific cultural context of the “Enlightenment” philosophy that developed eventually in the French and the American Revolutions.
Nevertheless, if one reads carefully the provisions embodied in the various agreement adopted since the beginning of the ongoing Arab-Israeli peace negotiations, one may notice that the reference to freedom of religion is always accompanied with the principle of respect for the traditional status quo in the Holy Places.
 More recently, moreover, on 14 November 1994, the Patriarchs and the Heads of Christian Communities in Jerusalem signed in the city an important Memorandum on the Significance of Jerusalem for Christians, confirming the Status Quo in the Christian Holy Places .
This confirmation is not to be interpreted as a decision on the part of the Christian communities to consider the Status Quo as a perfect arrangement to keep permanently without any possibility of a change or an improvement in order to meet new and unpredictable needs. On the contrary, the Status Quo, by definition, allows such improvements, provided they receive the consent of all interested parties, following established procedures.

An example is the recent decision to add a new exit to the Holy Sepulcher Church. The emergency exit will also make possible for more pilgrims to enter the church during the celebretion for the Year 2000 Jubilee . The decision was agreed in principle at a meeting with Israeli Tourism Minister Moshe Katsav, Deputy Religious Affairs Minister Yigal Bibi, and representatives of the Custody of the Holy Land and the Armenian and Greek Orthodox Patriarchates.
Therefore, the definition given in the first page of an the Israeli newspaper according to which this decision would “alter” the Status Quo is improper and misleading . On the contrary, the decision is a confirmation of established rules that characterize the traditional Status Quo procedures, based on consent and mutual agreement.
As a conclusion, one may notice that the expression “status quo” is used in many different senses but rarely defined in its specific context . In light of these considerations, one cannot but hope that the scholar as well as the diplomat, when dealing with the Jerusalem question will try to clarify the meaning given to the expression. One should thus always, when referring to the “status quo” in Jerusalem specify in which context is adopting the expression, unless one is referring to the original Status Quo “stricto sensu”, the Status Quo of the Holy Places “par exellence”.
Indeed, especially if one is aiming at finding a possible solution for the long-standing conflict over the city, one should avoid to use a terminology which sometimes has clearly proven to be misleading, too often generating confusion and useless controversies.