North African countries prefer security cooperation with Europe
North Africa Region, Politics, 10/24/1997

Diplomatic sources in North Africa said that the North African countries prefer the bilateral formula in the field of security cooperation with the European countries instead of the European-Middle Eastern cooperation which France tried to form in 1994 with the help of some countries on the north side of the Mediterranean.

Sources in the North African countries added that the capitals of these countries requested information about members of extremist Islamic movements recently arrested in Spain, France, Belgium, and Italy. The contacts were mainly instigated by the search to find whether those arrested include any other non-Algerian nationals who are members of the Islamic armed groups active in Europe. Sources clarified that these efforts tried to discover whether there are Afghans, Libyana, Tunisians, and Moroccans involved with the Algerian Groups.

France tried to organize frequent meetings of the interior ministers of the countries of the Mediterranean-North African countries but Morocco and Italy did not attend the first meeting which was held in Tunis in 1994. The meeting was attended by the interior ministers of Tunisia, Algeria, France, Spain and Portugal.

The North African countries did not show much enthusiasm toward the idea of setting up a European Mediterranean group to study the situation in Algeria which was suggested by the Spanish Foreign Minister Abel Matius in Luxembourg two weeks ago. The North African reservations stem from the idea that such formula could be considered an intervention in the internal affairs of Algeria which would lead to poisoning the Algerian relations with its neighbors.

Contacts are underway between Italy, Spain, France, and Portugal to discuss the future of the intervention force formed by the four countries last year under the name Eurofod. The Arab League had expressed its concern regarding forming such a force.

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