French President: Maghreban union, an inevitable process

The Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) is an inevitable and desired process all its member countries, French President Jacques Chirac said Saturday here. Chirac told the press he studied issues related to the UMA with President Zine Al-Abidine Ben Ali of Tunisia. The French President voiced hope that UMA member countries will be able to meet.

UMA was set up in 1989 by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania. But the Union has been unable to take off as a full-fledged regional grouping mainly due to Algeria's direct intervention in the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.