Maghreban political parties say UMA construction unavoidable
North Africa, Politics, 6/13/1998

Delegates of 37 political parties which met in the Libyan capital, Tripoli, this June 10-12, said the construction of the Arab Maghreb Union "UMA" is unavoidable at a time other groupings are being formed.

In a statement released Friday at the end of their congress that was opened by Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi, the participants stressed that difficulties hampering the Maghreb Union construction would not affect the will of Maghreban peoples to co-exist, cooperate and seek integration in various fields.

Delegates, including representatives of 10 Moroccan political parties, also voiced keenness to intensify encounters and extend them to various components of the civil society. They pledged to make all needed efforts to re-launch the UMA construction, Map reported.

The meeting further called for an end to the Spanish colonization of Sebta and Melilia, two Moroccan northern towns still under Spanish rule, denounced "terrorism and massacres" in Algeria and expressed total support to the Palestinian people and to their right to self-rule. The embargoes imposed on Libya, Iraq and Sudan were denounced by the congress which called arab and muslim countries to endeavor for the immediate lifting of these sanctions.

A call by the Libyan leader to wave ties with countries of sub-saharan Africa was supported by the congress which considered this region as the "geographic, civilizational and spiritual" continuation of the arab nation.

The encounter was held to mark the 40th anniversary of the "Tangiers Conference" and the 10th anniversary of the "Zeralda meeting" (Algeria).

In his opening speech, Gadhafi recalled that the Tangiers conference which brought together political parties from Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia was the first move for the materialization of the joint will to build the Maghreban union.

He further noted that the human and cultural resources this region boasts open the way for Maghreban unity and deplored the delay in achieving this unity while Europeans are moving steadily towards total integration despite differences of race, language and creed.

The Arab Maghreb Union, set up in 1989 in Marrakesh (Morocco) musters Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia. However, the Union's integration process was hampered by the Algerian direct involvement in the Sahara issue, through its siding with the separatist Polisario movement, which claims sovereignty over Morocco's southern provinces.

The Algerian extremist violence and the Lockerbie issue, involving Libya and the USA, France and Britain, also contributed to hamper UMA's march.

Previous Stories:
  Maghreban political parties open first congress in Libya   (6/9/1998)
  Afro-Arab summit concluded, common economic council established   (2/6/1998)
  North African countries prefer security cooperation with Europe   (10/24/1997)

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