"The ratification process of the Treaty of Lisbon is going on well" in Great Britain, too: it was one of the conclusions of Hans-Gert Poettering, president of the EU Parliament, after his visit to London on 26 and 27 February. Once back to his office in Rue Wiertz, in Brussels, the German politician took stock of his stay in England, during which he was received by Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister Gordon Brown, and former head of government Tony Blair. Among the official meetings, there were also those with the representatives of the Catholic and Islamic faiths. Yesterday evening, Poettering made a speech at the London School of Economics, insisting on the importance of 2008 as Year of Intercultural Dialogue, "the instrument to improve understanding and tolerance among various cultures and religions", and "antidote for what is usually defined the civilization clash". On the other hand, with the former British prime minister, Poettering faced the question of peace in the Middle East (Blair is special envoy of the EU, UNO, United States and Russia quartet on this subject). Poettering confirmed that a conference on the Middle East is going to be set up by the EU parliament in the second half of 2008.
