Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) Secretary-General and Former Foreign Minister of Tunisia Taïeb Baccouche called on Algeria, in a press release issued on Thursday, to pay its dues to the Union and prove how important it is to the North African country.
Baccouche was reacting to some pretentious statements made by Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf to Qatari TV channel on December 23, in which Attaf voiced readiness to prepare the ground for a stronger Maghreb Union. The Algerian official had also claimed working to settle the disagreement with Morocco in a brotherly way that would give concrete substance to the Maghreb dream.
In 2021, and for no apparent reason, Algeria decided unilaterally to cut ties with its neighbor, citing hostile acts by Morocco. The feud is caused mainly by the long-running dispute over the Sahara, as Algeria is arming and supporting a separatist militia that wants self-determination over this portion of Moroccan lands.
The Secretary General welcomed the Algerian stance on building a robust Arab Maghreb, especially amid the crisis situation the Arab World is going through. He also stressed the pressing need for unity and closing ranks to achieve integration and complementarity.
Baccouche said that the AMU is keen to contribute to such lofty efforts and hoped to see Algeria appointing competent people to the vacant positions at the AMU Secretariat General.