Zeroual stresses to King Hassan commitment to Maghreb Union as a strategic option

Algerian President Liamine Zeroual has stressed his country's desire to strengthen "fraternal relations" between Morocco and Algeria.

In a cable he sent to Morocco's King Hassan II on the occasion of Morocco's National Day, Zeroual said, "We are all hoping to strengthen fraternal relations that link the two brotherly peoples as will as to commit to our Maghreb project as a strategic option which makes it imperative to fulfill it on the ground of the common challenges we face."

In a similar cable of congratulations to King Hassan, Tunisian President Zein al-Abidin Bin Ali expressed conviction that relations between Tunisia and Morocco will be further consolidated, "thanks to our sincere determination to soar high in them."

Moroccan sources find in the contents of these cables strong signals in favor of reviving the stumbled Maghreb Union, whose activities have been suspended for several years.

The Maghreb summit which was supposed to have been held in Algiers in 1995 was postponed several times over disputes concerning the issue of Western Sahara, prospects of relations between Morocco and Algeria as well as regional crises in the North African region.