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Wind was among a series of proposals for joint development of renewables discussed by representatives of 17 Mediterranean countries in Malta last month. The four-day meeting, in preparation for September's world energy summit in Harare in Zimbabwe, was sponsored by the United Nations' Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO). Regional co-operation in developing sustainable energy was urged by Maltese prime minister Eddie Fenech Adami at the opening session, according to Reuters news service. He told delegates that a common path to sustainable development is more realistic at a regional than global level because regional geographic conditions are more similar. Proposals discussed ranged from setting up wind farms and personnel training and technology transfer to solar desalination plants and photovoltaic village electrification in remote areas. Small hydro powered stations, geothermal energy for greenhouses, energy conservation in homes, reduction of methane emissions, and use of municipal wastes for energy were also considered. Representatives at the meeting, in Valletta in May, were from Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, France, Greece, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Malta, Mauritania, Morocco, Spain, Syria, Tunisia, Turkey and the Palestinian Authority.