Speakers of Moroccan and Tunisian parliaments meet in Rabat

Speaker of the Tunisian chamber of representatives, Fouad Mebazza, who started on Wednesday a four-day official visit to Morocco held separate meetings with the speakers of the two chambers of the Moroccan parliament, Abdelouahed Radi and Jalal Essaid.

The two sides discussed means of upgrading cooperation and coordination between the two countries' legislative institutions and ways of consolidating the role of parliaments in strengthening bilateral relations.

Talks also covered the construction of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) and the role of parliamentary institutions in the undertaking. The two sides voiced satisfaction at the new climate prevailing in the region, heralding the revival of the UMA, and stressed the need to make up for the lost time and push forward the Maghreban march to enable the countries of the region take up the economic and social challenges thrown at them.

After the settlement of the Lockerbie issue and following the election last April of Abdelaziz Bouteflika as Algeria's new president, Maghreban leaders had all voiced determination to revive the Arab Maghreb Union.