February 19, 2007

Moroccan King vouch for Maghreb unity

Moroccan King Mohamed VI on Saturday urged his Maghrebi counterparts to look to the future and collectively take up challenges facing the region.
The Moroccan leader called for "real integration dynamics" of the Maghreb, in his address to heads of state of the four other countries of the Union of Arab Maghreb (UMA) on the occasion of UMA's 18th anniversary.

Set up on 17 February 1989 in Marrakech, Morocco, UMA groups Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco and Mauritania.
"By commemorating this major historic event, each and everyone should redouble their efforts so that we consolidate our achievements and overcome the difficulties that continue to undermine real integration dynamics," Mohammed VI was quoted Sunday by the Moroccan News Agency (MAP) as saying.

He noted that inter-Maghrebi disagreements, particularly between Algeria and Morocco over the Western Sahara conflict, slow down UMA activities.