Moroccan - Algerian summit shortly

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika said he agreed with King Mohammed VI on a summit meeting shortly.

"The Moroccans and the Algerians do not feel stranger one to the other," Bouteflika told Algerian Al-Akhbar daily.

Officials in the two states should show imagination in matters of cooperation, inter-assistance and fraternity matters, he said, terming the boosting of Moroccan-Algerian relations an "absolute necessity," dictated by the shared history.

In his interview with Al-Akhbar, Bouteflika said, "We have wasted much time," while the Moroccan and Algerian peoples "require us to restore the brotherly ties to their past excellent level."

He added that he shares with the Late King Hassan II the firm determination to make of the Maghreb region an "area of security, peace and prosperity.

"If we do not hasten to achieve our aspirations, history will condemn us for negligence," he said.

Bouteflika also called for lifting all obstacles between the two brotherly countries, including the suppression of visas and the implementation of scores of cooperation accords, already concluded between the two sides.