MEDITERRANEAN AWARD FOR MEDIA
IGOR MAN
Journalist, ITALY

During the solemn "rentrée" of the United States of the World, a ceremony was held to present the "Mediterranean Information Award" to journalist Igor Man, one of the most important experts on the Arab world. On this occasion, the decree of appointment as "Ambassador of the United States of the World" was handed over.

Awarding Ceremony
Marseille, 5 July 2000

MEDITERRANEAN AWARD FOR PEACE
to the memory of H.M. HASSAN II
King of MOROCCO

Morocco, though having most of its coasts on the Atlantic, is truly Mediterranean. Not only because the Moroccan coast facing the Mediterranean extends from Tangier to Oujda, but also because Moroccan culture is founded on that humanism which has made man the measure of the world: a universal humanism, as emphasized by many thinkers and artists. From the high of Tangier a blue line separates the waters of the Ocean from those of the Mediterranean; and the latter seem to venture to the Atlantic in search of other continents to be fecundated by Mediterranean culture and ancient traditions. This line of demarcation – in the Koran Marajou AI Bahrein – is the strong representation of the attitude of Mediterranean genius to transmit our ancient immortal culture to the whole world: an attitude that H.M. Hassan II has constantly nourished, since His accession to the throne, continuing the action for national unity started by His father Mohammed V. His great merit was to support the democratization process towards which he wisely oriented His Country: this achievement will remain in history the main pillar in His political career. By accepting this challenge, He belied all those who argued that there was an absolute structural incompatibility between Islam and Democracy. By instituting for the first time in the Arab world and on the Southern shore of the Mediterranean the system of alternating democracy, H.M. Hassan II offered an example of pride and hope not only to the Moroccan people but also to all Arab and Muslim peoples. “Your Majesty, in a moment when the highest minds of the Mediterranean give You this Award, we join them, being sure that this high acknowledgement is not only conferred on the most important representative of Maghreb world but also on all Maghreb peoples who, thanks to Your action, may hope in a future founded on peace and on the respect of different identitie".

Awarding Ceremony
Naples, 5 January 2000

MEDITERRANEAN AWARD FOR CULTURE
REPUBLIC OF MALTA
MALTA

The Republic of Malta is a unique example in the Mediterranean. History and culture of Maltese islands are mingled with those of Europe and of the Mediterranean across the centuries, since the prehistoric period, when the archipelago was part of a vast territory extending from Northern Africa to Europe. Megalithic monuments, erected at Xaghra, are considered the most ancient in the world: Ggantilia temples, built around 300 B.C., before Egyptian pyramids. Later on Malta was ruled by various peoples among which Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs: a mingling of knowledge, religions, traditions and destinies which make this island in the middle of the Mediterranean a priceless cultural heritage. However, those who left a decisive mark were the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem, by chasing off the Turks of Solyman the Magnificent and turning the island into a true cultural deposit. Today the Republic of Malta has undertaken the journey towards Europe. Prof. Guido de Marco is one of the authors of this process. Foreign Minister for a long period and today President of the Republic, he has been able to embody the three Mediterranean “Forces”, showing in his action the experience of a political man as well as that of man of culture and economics. Today this global vision enables the Republic of Malta, under the leadership of President de Marco, to play an important role in the cultural, social and economic partnership between the European Union and Mediterranean Countries: a vital function for the future of the Region and for the preservation of its ancient culture in a period in which the risks of flattening deriving from the globalisation process are well known by everybody.

Awarding Ceremony
Naples, 5 January 2000

PREMIO INTERNAZIONALE LABORATORIO MEDITERRANEO
LENDULET / MOMENTO
Best short‑film by Hungarian director Imre Juhàsz

 The Prize was awarded to “Lendulet” because among the different heterogeneous competing works, the film stood out for the quality of sound, photography and the narrative technique chosen. For this reason the Fondazione Mediterraneo attributed to Imre Juhàsz the International Award Laboratorio Mediterraneo 2000.

Awarding Ceremony
Trieste, 22 January 2000