What kind of EU presidency will Portugal find itself with?

The daily fears that the current situation in the Middle East (fighting in Lebanon and Palestine) might turn the Portuguese presidency, due to start on July 1st, into a nightmare. "If the worst-case scenarios materialise, Lisbon will be obliged to pay particular attention to Lebanon at the expense of the regions upon which Portugal was more intent to act, like the Mediterranean, Africa and Latin America. ... As for the Israel-Palestine conflict, there is no solution possible without the United States, and in the knowledge that Washington's position on big international questions tends to be diminishing as the 2008 presidential elections approach, it seems almost impossible that the United States will again initiate any new dialogue. Portugal or the EU have no chance to alter this tendency."

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