Libyan Prime Minister Abdel Rahim al-Kib [Al-Keeb, Al-Keib] (pictured) has called for an “active and serious” Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), during a visit to Morocco, the first such visit since Moammar Qaddafi’s ouster.
Visiting Morocco, Kib told reporters in Rabat:
“The Maghreb Union is a vessel that contains many of our dreams… [But these] will not be achieved unless there is a Maghreb Union that is active and serious ... We want this to happen quickly.”
Reuters reports that the AMU, consisting of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, has not met since 1994, mainly because of the festering dispute between Morocco and Algeria over the Western Sahara.
Tunisia is due to host the next Maghreb summit in October, which should see the re-launch of the dormant five-country union (AMU), formed in 1989 as a trade agreement meant to eventually achieve deeper political integration.
Kib on Wednesday urged Moroccans to participate in the reconstruction of his country, which was ravaged by the conflict last year that led to Qaddafi’s downfall and death.
“The door is wide open to those capable of contributing to the rebuilding of the new Libya,” he said, adding that Morocco had an important role to play in this.
(Sources: Reuters, Dow Jones)
