Libya’s presidential council rejected any attempt to replace the Arab Maghreb Union with an Algeria-led entity that includes Libya and Tunisia.
In a statement to Libya’s media Al Marsad, a source from the presidential council denied that its leader Mohamed Younis Ahmed Al-Manfi had agreed with Tebboune and Tunisian president Kais Saied to create a grouping alternative to the Maghreb union.
Tebboune had said in an interview few days ago that he agreed with Al Manfi and Saied to establish a new regional grouping, in a bid to exclude Morocco.
The Libyan source strongly rejected Tebboune’s manipulation saying the meeting between the three leaders during a gas summit in Algeria was meant to discuss security and economic cooperation in addition to border management.
He said the council maintains neutrality and backs the unity and sovereignty of all Maghreb states and advocates conflict resolution through dialogue.
A similar stand was expressed by foreign minister of eastern Libya Abdulhadi Lahouij, who said “the Maghreb region does not need the creation of new entities, because we have existing institutions that need to be reactivated and reinforced.”
“Libya, which currently chairs the Arab Maghreb Union, remains attached to this institution and is willing to strengthen cooperation between Maghreb countries, whose trade volume remains low compared to other regional blocs,” he told Moroccan media Hespress.
In his arguments, Tebboune said there was a need for a new entity due to the lethargy of the Maghreb union. But nowhere did he mention the root causes that made the Maghreb one of the least integrated regions in the World.
While Algeria maintains closed borders with Morocco since 1994, it has continued to back separatism in Morocco for nearly five decades, armed and instigated a separatist militia against Morocco, cut ties with Rabat and banned all Moroccan aircrafts from crossing its airspace and prevents any trade including transshipment through Moroccan ports. However, its president shamelessly dares to speak about a non-efficient Maghreb Union!!
The current secretary general of the Maghreb Union Taieb Baccouch had on multiple occasions urged Algeria to return its staff to the headquarters of the regional grouping in Rabat and pay its due financial contributions.
After destroying the Maghreb, Algeria is seeking to bury it and sends a message that no union is possible unless Maghreb countries follow the Tunisian example and become proxy states serving Algeria’s regional agenda in the region.