Egyptian president hopes Morocco and Algeria overcome causes behind Maghreb summit postponement

Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak hopes Morocco and Algeria overcome "the causes behind the postponement of the Maghreb summit," the Egyptian presidency spokesman said Thursday.

Souleimane Aouad told the press at the end of a meeting between President Moubarak and Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohamed Benaissa, that the Royal message conveyed to the Egyptian head of State by Benaissa deals with the reasons that led to the postponement of the summit of the Arab Maghreb Union, grouping Mauritania, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya.

The 7th summit of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), which was to open on Wednesday in the Libyan Capital city, was postponed to provide better conditions for the gathering. The Union has not convened a summit since 1994, for divergences among member countries.

The Egyptian President wishes that Moroccan-Algerian relations would be up to their brotherly and neighbourly ties, especially that the warming up was materialized by the participation of King Mohammed VI in the Arab summit, held last March in Algiers.

On a possible Egyptian mediation between Morocco and Algeria, Aouad said one cannot speak of mediation for the word "has a juridical and political meaning." He underscored, nonetheless, the willingness of President Moubarak to help prevail an Arab climate freed of anything that could mar it, through contacts with Arab leaders.

The Egyptian leader and Moroccan foreign minister also talked about means to develop relations between Morocco and Egypt, the spokesman said, adding the higher Moroccan-Egyptian commission is to convene this year "likely after the month of Ramadan" (early November).