A meeting this week of foreign ministers from European Union and Mediterranean-rim countries has already been soured by the Middle East crisis, with Syria and Lebanon boycotting the talks over Israel's West Bank offensive.
It is a bitter blow for Spain, which had hoped its six-month presidency of the EU would bring Europe closer to its far poorer southern neighbours, injecting some zest into trade and investment and strengthening political and cultural ties.
The EuroMed partnership of the EU, 11 Mediterranean states - including Israel - and the Palestinian Authority was launched at a conference in Barcelona in November, 1995, to encourage economic integration between Europe and its southern neighbours.
The EU has reached bilateral trade agreements with most of its Mediterranean partners, with the eventual aim of creating a Euro-Mediterranean free trade area by 2010, and it is debating how to set up a bank to spur investment in its southern flank.
Lebanon confirmed yesterday it would not be at Valencia due to Israel's participation as well as the incidents taking place in the West Bank between the Israelis and Palestinians.