Revitalized Maghreb union would benefit all member states
https://arab.news/89qhp
Developments in the Maghreb last month have once again drawn attention to the Arab Maghreb Union, the ambitious plan to unite the western region of the Arab world.
The last meeting of the Arab Maghreb Union took place three decades ago, in 1994. Amid a variety of political and economic differences, the countries of the Maghreb — namely Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania — gave priority to their own national plans and international relations. The Arab Maghreb Union today exists largely only on paper, with an office in Rabat and certain tertiary cooperation programs among member states. Regional leaders have periodically stated their intention to revive the union, but such attempts have not been successful.
Today, international attention is again focused on the prospects for the revival of the Arab Maghreb Union. What began with the prospect of a fragmented new union ended with commitments to reconcile and revive the organization.
On April 22, Libyan Presidential Council President Mohammed Al-Menfi met with Tunisian President Kais Saied and Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune in Tunis to launch a series of tripartite meetings, to be held every three months, to discuss relevant issues in the Maghreb. This was the result of a decision taken earlier last month, when the three leaders met on the sidelines of the seventh summit of the heads of state and government of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum in Algiers and agreed to hold such consultative meetings periodically.
The absence of Morocco and Mauritania, the other two members of the Arab Maghreb Union, from both of these meetings was significant. Amid speculation of the emergence of an alternative to the Arab Maghreb Union, Libyan Presidential Council envoy Sami Al-Menfi on April 24 landed in Rabat to deliver a handwritten letter to Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. On the same day, Mauritania hosted Imad Al-Falah, another Libyan envoy. They both refuted any attempt to establish a union excluding any Maghreb country. The Libyan ambassador in Rabat, Abu Bakr Ibrahim Al-Taweel, reiterated the same. And on April 25, Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmed Attaf highlighted Algiers’ commitment to uniting the Maghreb and assured that it does not intend to exclude any member from the regional integration plans.
Such unity could serve as a panacea for the region’s political turmoil and economic limitations
Zaid M. Belbagi
The Arab Maghreb Union has been collateral damage in the long-standing political rift between Morocco and Algeria. The Maghreb, which is the Arabic name for Morocco, has always been a Moroccan preserve, with Rabat having been the political and religious fulcrum of the region since medieval times. The differences between the two Maghrebi neighbors are rooted in post-independence border disputes and divergent international relations.
As the region faced increasing mayhem in the late 20th and early 21st centuries, from militancy in the Sahel to political uprisings in Tunisia and Libya, the desire to unite the Maghreb became a low priority. However, such unity could serve as a panacea for the region’s political turmoil and economic limitations.
A robust integration framework would lead to efficiency and growth in regional and international trade, while also creating prospects for collective security, measures against militancy and illicit trade, the free movement of people and diplomatic cooperation on the global stage.
The International Monetary Fund has noted that integration would make economic sense, as it would create a market of more than 100 million consumers and a regional gross domestic product of more than $360 billion. This would certainly create strong incentives for foreign direct investment and knowledge transfer. Morocco plays a key role in this integration and the recent diplomatic efforts to ensure Rabat’s inclusion in Maghreb unity are a testament to its regional standing.
Morocco’s presence is integral to any attempt to revive the union and work toward regional unification
Zaid M. Belbagi
Morocco is well positioned to consolidate efforts toward bringing the Arab Maghreb Union back to life. Given its economic and political stability, robust trade infrastructure and solid diplomatic relations globally, it stands to both contribute and gain the most from economic integration and political cooperation in the Maghreb.
Moreover, Morocco benefits from an established presence within the Maghreb region. For instance, Moroccan banks Attijariwafa Bank and Banque Centrale Populaire are present in Tunisia, Mauritania and across Africa. The Arab Maghreb Union was formed in Marrakech and sits in Rabat, so Morocco’s presence is integral to any attempt to revive the union and work toward regional unification.
The Maghreb remains the least economically integrated region in the world, despite its rich natural resources, geostrategic location and strong human capital. Intraregional trade represents less than 5 percent of the member states’ total trade, even as the countries have individually improved their economic performance in recent years. Therefore, the need to revive the Arab Maghreb Union is stronger than ever and this requires the presence and partnership of all member states.
Attempts to create fragmented alternatives to the Arab Maghreb Union will only further hamper regional economic integration by creating blocs on the basis of divergent political interests. All founding members of the Arab Maghreb Union stand to gain from a collective effort to tap into the strategic potential of an integrated Maghreb.
- Zaid M. Belbagi is a political commentator and an adviser to private clients between London and the Gulf Cooperation Council region. X: @Moulay_Zaid
