Maghreban meeting helped overcome psychological barriers, FM

Moroccan foreign affairs and cooperation minister, Mohamed Benaissa, on Friday said that the meeting of Maghreban foreign ministers in Algiers helped overcome psychological barriers between member states of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA).

The 19th session of the UMA ministers' council was "a success," as it "helped overcome certain psychological barriers, not only between us (Morocco) and Algeria, but also among all member states," Benaissa, who represented Morocco in the meeting, told MAP at the end of the session.

Incepted in 1989 by Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania, UMA has so far been unable to take off as a full-fledged regional grouping, due to differences among its member states, especially Morocco and Algeria. Algeria is directly involved in the issue of Moroccan Sahara.

The Moroccan foreign minister underlined that the Algiers meeting led "to more rapprochement and more understanding. He voiced hope, in this connection, that that the meeting "will be a starting point" for the North African Union.

"We are now aware that we cannot progress individually, and this a positive result of the (Algiers) session," he said.

"Everybody knows that there are pending issues between us and the Algerian brethrens and that we consider these issues as stumbling blocks that we have to defeat through wisdom, far-sightedness, dialogue and the consolidation of trust," he insisted.