Maghreban states' development goes through unity
Morocco-Algeria, Politics, 5/10/2000

Moroccan Premier Abderrahmane Youssoufi on Tuesday stressed that the development of the five Maghreban states necessarily goes through unity.

"We cannot imagine the development of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania and Libya without a cooperation among these countries within the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA)," Youssoufi said at the end of a meeting with speaker of the Algerian senate, Bashir Boumaaza.

UMA, incepted in 1989, has been paralyzed over the past years, mainly due to Algeria's direct involvement in the issue of Moroccan Sahara.

Boumaaza wound up Tuesday a three-day visit to Morocco during which he was received by King Mohammed VI. He also conferred with several Moroccan officials, including the speakers of the two chambers.

The Moroccan premier underlined that Maghreban countries will not be able to benefit from globalization unless they activate their Union.

Youssoufi also touched on Moroccan-Algerian relations, terming their promotion as vital for the two nations and for the region as a whole.

Land borders between the two neighbor states are closed since 1994, when Algerian-born French nationals were found guilty of perpetrating a terrorist attack against a luxury hotel in Marrakesh, killing two Spanish tourists.

The present situation cannot last for long, Youssoufi said, recalling the various calls he had made to reopen the borders.

During his stay in Morocco, Boumaaza visited the tombs of the Late King Mohammed V and of the Late King Hassan II.

A joint release, made public at the end of Boumaaza's visit, stressed Rabat and Algiers' will to push forward the Maghreban integration process.

The two states' respective senates also decided to create a brotherhood and cooperation group to promote bilateral relations and enhance rapprochement.

Previous Stories:
  Moroccan, Algerian senates set up cooperation groups   (5/9/2000)
  King Mohammed meets Algerian senate speaker   (5/8/2000)
  Mauritanian Envoy in Algeria   (5/6/2000)

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