Egypt renews wish to join Maghreban union

Egypt on Friday renewed wish to join the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), a regional grouping set up in 1989 by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania.

Egypt still wants to join the union and is ready to cooperate with its five member countries, Egyptian foreign minister, Amr Moussa, told the press in Tunisia, where he was on a work visit.

UMA is a pillar for the consolidation of inter-Arab solidarity and cooperation, he said.

Moussa's Tunisian peer Habib Ben Yahia said his country backs Egypt's adhesion to UMA in view of Cairo's friendly relations with the Union's member states. The integration of North Africa countries will serve shared interests and consolidate invulnerability in a world environment marked by globalization challenges, Ben Yahia said.