Leaders of 43 nations with nearly 800 million inhabitants inaugurated a Union for the Mediterranean on Sunday, meant to bring the northern and southern countries that ring the sea closer together through practical projects dealing with the environment, climate, transportation, immigration and policing. The union has northern and southern co-presidents - to start, Sarkozy and President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, The Associated Press reports.

The new forum for cooperation is facing opposition from Libyan President Moamer Kadhafi who is boycotting the summit while Turkey and Germany have some misgivings.

Kadhafi has assailed the club as a neo-colonialist ploy to weaken Arab and African unity and warned it would be a flop.