UMA foreign ministers examine summit preparations, adopts package of recommendations

The 19th session of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) foreign ministers council held here this January 16-17 endorsed a series of recommendations adopted by the Union specialized commissions.

Participants from the five member countries (Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia) looked into preparations for the 7th session of the UMA presidency council (summit) and the possibility of holding the summit in the first half of 2002 in Algiers.

They further agreed on the need to adapt Maghreban accords to new national and international changes and approved the creation of a ministerial council in charge of water and irrigation, a high-level body for coordination of environment actions undertaken in member countries, and the development of a practical program for social development encompassing the issue of handicapped persons, poverty, childhood, illiteracy, and desertification.

The foreign ministers of the five north African countries, who decided to meet next February in Rabat, further decided to rename the Maghreban ministerial council of posts and telecommunications "Maghreban ministerial council of communication and computer technology."

The session underscored the importance of some regional leading infrastructure projects like the plan of steel tubes, the construction material manufacture and the plant to manufacture railway equipment and decided to submit them to the finance and economy commission.

Other recommendations adopted include the need to speed up ratification of the agreement setting up the Maghreban investment and foreign trade bank and of other agreements concluded by the union.

Foreign ministers also underscored the need to coordinate action by the five countries' ambassadors abroad and of Maghreban coordination in international and regional encounters.

Regarding international issues, the council called for lifting the embargo on Libya and Iraq and decided to send messages to the United Nations secretary general and to the European Union requesting an urgent action to provide protection to the Palestinian people and to lift the blockade enforced by the Israeli authorities.

The council welcomed the resumption of the Mediterranean dialogue for the development and security of the basin and hailed preparation for a meeting of foreign ministers of the 5"5 group (5 south Mediterranean and 5 north Mediterranean countries) next March in Libya.

Other issues debated by the UMA ministerial council include the principle of instituting the rotation principle for the position of secretary general and the creation of positions of assistants to the secretary general from all member countries, except for the country of which the secretary general is a national.

These two items will be referred to the UMA presidency council.