The Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) or simply the Maghreb Union (MU) (Arabic: اتحاد المغرب العربيIttiḥād al-Maghrib al-‘Arabī, French: Union du Maghreb Arabe) is a political union and economic union trade agreement aiming for economic and future political[citation needed] unity among Arab countries States that are located primarily in the Maghreb in North Africa. Its members are the nations of Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.[1] The Union has been unable to achieve tangible progress on its goals due to deep economic and political disagreements between Morocco and Algeria regarding, among others, the issue of Western Sahara. No high level meetings have taken place since 3 July 2008,[2] and commentators regard the Union as largely dormant.[3][4][5]
The idea for an economic union of the Maghreb began with the independence of Tunisia and Morocco in 1956. It was not until thirty years later, though, that five Maghreb states—Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco, and Tunisia—met for the first Maghreb summit in 1988.[6] The Union was established on 17 February 1989 when the treaty was signed by the member states in Marrakech.[6][7] According to the Constitutive Act, its aim is to guarantee cooperation "with similar regional institutions... [to] take part in the enrichment of the international dialogue... [to] reinforce the independence of the member states and... [to] safeguard... their assets." Strategic relevance of the region is based on the fact that, collectively, it boasts large phosphate, oil, and gas reserves, and it is a transit centre to southern Europe. The success of the Union would, therefore be economically important.[8]
Organization
There is a rotating chairmanship within the AMU which is held in turn by each nation. The current Secretary-General is the Tunisian Taïeb Baccouche.[9][10]
Members
During the 16th session of the AMU Foreign Ministers, held on 12 November 1994 in Algiers, Egypt applied to join the AMU grouping.
The economy of the AMU combines the economies of four out of five member states. All countries are predominantly Arab and Muslim states. The four out of five AMU countries have a combined GDP (at purchasing power parity; PPP) of US$1.5276 trillion. The richest country on the basis of GDP per capita at PPP is Algeria. On the basis of per capita GDP (nominal), Libya is the richest country, with incomes exceeding US$65.803 per capita.
There have been problems of traditional rivalries within the AMU. For example, in 1994, Algeria decided to transfer the presidency of the AMU to Libya. This followed the diplomatic tensions between Algeria and other members, especially Morocco and Libya, whose leaders continuously refused to attend AMU meetings held in Algiers. Algerian officials justified the decision, arguing that they were simply complying with the AMU Constitutive Act, which stipulates that the presidency should in fact rotate on an annual basis. Algeria agreed to take over the presidency from Tunisia in 1994, but could not transfer it due to the absence of all required conditions to relinquish the presidency as stipulated by the Constitutive Act.
Following the announcement of the decision to transfer the presidency of the Union, the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, stated that it was time to put the Union "in the freezer".[11] This raised questions about Libya's position towards the Union. The concern was that Libya would have a negative influence on the manner in which it would preside over the organization.[8]
Moreover, traditional rivalries between Morocco and Algeria, and the unsolved question of Western Sahara's sovereignty, have blocked union meetings since the early 1990s despite several attempts to re-launch the political process. Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony south of Morocco that was "reintegrated" by the kingdom of Morocco, has declared independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. The latest top-level conference, in mid-2005, was derailed by Morocco's refusal to meet, due to Algeria's vocal support for Sahrawi independence. Algeria has continuously supported the Polisario Front liberation movement.[8]
Several attempts have been made, notably by the United Nations, to resolve the Western Sahara issue. In mid-2003, the UN Secretary General's Personal Envoy, James Baker, proposed a settlement plan, also referred to as the Baker Plan II. The UN's proposal was rejected by Morocco and accepted by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic. As far as bilateral attempts are concerned, very little has been achieved, as Morocco continues to refuse any concessions that would allow the independence of Western Sahara, while Algeria maintains its support for the self-determination of the Sahrawis.[8]
In addition, the quarrel between Gaddafi's Libya and Mauritania has not made the task of reinvigorating the organisation any easier. Mauritania has accused the Libyan secret service of being involved in a 2003 attempted coup against President Maaouya Ould Sid'Ahmed Taya. Libya has denied the accusation.[12]
^Francesco Tamburini, L'Union du Maghreb Arabe, ovvero l'utopia di una organizzazione regionale africana, en "Africa", N. 3, 2008, p. 405-428
^. Archived from the original on 2018-02-08. Retrieved 2016-03-12.
^"Tunisia president in Morocco to promote Maghreb union". Al Arabiya. 2012-02-08. Retrieved 2017-05-08.
^Publitec Publications, ed. (22 December 2011). Who's Who in the Arab World 2007-2008. De Gruyter. p. 1117. ISBN978-3-598-07735-7. It was reported in early January 2006, that the largely moribund Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) had appointed...
^Thorne, John (February 17, 2012). "The liberated Maghreb looks to economic union". The National. Abu Dhabi. Tunisia's interim president, Moncef Marzouki, toured Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria last week in a bid to breathe life into the moribund Arab Maghreb Union (AMU), a planned North African trading bloc. While economic integration could boost employment and living standards across the region, leaders largely unanswerable to voters dithered for years in making it happen.
^ ab"UMA - Arab Maghreb Union". UN Economic Committee for Africa. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
^Bensouiah, Azeddine (26 June 2002). June 2002 "Stunted growth of the Arab Maghreb Union". Panapress.
^ abcdAggad, Faten. "The Arab Maghreb Union: Will the Haemorrhage Lead to Demise?" African Insight. 6 April 2004.
^"Maghreb: Taieb Bacchouche, New Chairman of Arab Maghreb Union | The North Africa Post". The North Africa Post. 2016-05-06. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
^"Taieb Baccouche Appointed Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union". Tunisia-TN. 2016-05-05. Retrieved 2017-07-18.
^Le Quotidien d'Oran. 2003. Le Maghreb en Lambeaux. 23 December 2003. p 1
^Le Quotidien d'Oran. 2003. La Libye dément avoir financé un plan présumé de coup d'État en Mauritanie. 21 December. p 9
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arab Maghreb Union.
Official website
January 26, 2023
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The Arab Maghreb Union AMU or simply the Maghreb Union MU Arabic اتحاد المغرب العربي Ittiḥad al Maghrib al Arabi French Union du Maghreb Arabe is a political union and economic union trade agreement aiming for economic and future political citation needed unity among Arab countries States that are located primarily in the Maghreb in North Africa Its members are the nations of Algeria Libya Mauritania Morocco and Tunisia 1 The Union has been unable to achieve tangible progress on its goals due to deep economic and political disagreements between Morocco and Algeria regarding among others the issue of Western Sahara No high level meetings have taken place since 3 July 2008 2 and commentators regard the Union as largely dormant 3 4 5 Arab Maghreb Unionاتحاد المغرب العربيEmblemSeat of SecretariatRabat MoroccoLargest cityCasablanca MoroccoOfficial languageArabicDemonym s MaghrebisMember states Algeria Libya Mauritania Morocco TunisiaLeaders Secretary GeneralTaieb BaccoucheArea Total6 046 441 km2 2 334 544 sq mi 7th Population 2020 estimate102 877 547 13th Density17 km2 44 0 sq mi 217th GDP PPP 2020 estimate Total 1 299173 trillion citation needed 23rd Per capita 12 628 citation needed GDP nominal 2020 estimate Total 382 780 billion citation needed 37st Per capita 3 720 citation needed Gini 2012 citation needed 32 8mediumHDI 2019 citation needed 0 715high 106thCurrencyAlgerian dinarLibyan dinarMauritanian ouguiyaMoroccan dirhamTunisian dinarWebsitemaghrebarabe wbr org Contents 1 Creation 2 Organization 3 Members 4 Economy 5 Operations 6 See also 7 References 8 External linksCreation EditThe idea for an economic union of the Maghreb began with the independence of Tunisia and Morocco in 1956 It was not until thirty years later though that five Maghreb states Algeria Libya Mauritania Morocco and Tunisia met for the first Maghreb summit in 1988 6 The Union was established on 17 February 1989 when the treaty was signed by the member states in Marrakech 6 7 According to the Constitutive Act its aim is to guarantee cooperation with similar regional institutions to take part in the enrichment of the international dialogue to reinforce the independence of the member states and to safeguard their assets Strategic relevance of the region is based on the fact that collectively it boasts large phosphate oil and gas reserves and it is a transit centre to southern Europe The success of the Union would therefore be economically important 8 Organization EditThere is a rotating chairmanship within the AMU which is held in turn by each nation The current Secretary General is the Tunisian Taieb Baccouche 9 10 Members EditDuring the 16th session of the AMU Foreign Ministers held on 12 November 1994 in Algiers Egypt applied to join the AMU grouping Algeria Libya Mauritania Morocco TunisiaEconomy EditThe economy of the AMU combines the economies of four out of five member states All countries are predominantly Arab and Muslim states The four out of five AMU countries have a combined GDP at purchasing power parity PPP of US 1 5276 trillion The richest country on the basis of GDP per capita at PPP is Algeria On the basis of per capita GDP nominal Libya is the richest country with incomes exceeding US 65 803 per capita Economies of AMU members Country GDP nominal GDP PPP GDP nominal per capita GDP PPP per capita HDI Algeria 200 171 000 000 693 109 000 000 4 645 16 085 0 754 Libya 51 330 000 000 79 595 000 000 7 803 12 100 0 706 Mauritania 5 243 000 000 19 472 000 000 1 291 4 797 0 520 Morocco 122 458 000 000 332 358 000 000 3 441 9 339 0 667 Tunisia 42 277 000 000 151 566 000 000 3 587 12 862 0 735Arab Maghreb Union 421 479 000 000 1 576 100 000 000 3 720 12 628 0 707Operations EditThere have been problems of traditional rivalries within the AMU For example in 1994 Algeria decided to transfer the presidency of the AMU to Libya This followed the diplomatic tensions between Algeria and other members especially Morocco and Libya whose leaders continuously refused to attend AMU meetings held in Algiers Algerian officials justified the decision arguing that they were simply complying with the AMU Constitutive Act which stipulates that the presidency should in fact rotate on an annual basis Algeria agreed to take over the presidency from Tunisia in 1994 but could not transfer it due to the absence of all required conditions to relinquish the presidency as stipulated by the Constitutive Act Following the announcement of the decision to transfer the presidency of the Union the Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi stated that it was time to put the Union in the freezer 11 This raised questions about Libya s position towards the Union The concern was that Libya would have a negative influence on the manner in which it would preside over the organization 8 Moreover traditional rivalries between Morocco and Algeria and the unsolved question of Western Sahara s sovereignty have blocked union meetings since the early 1990s despite several attempts to re launch the political process Western Sahara a former Spanish colony south of Morocco that was reintegrated by the kingdom of Morocco has declared independence as the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic The latest top level conference in mid 2005 was derailed by Morocco s refusal to meet due to Algeria s vocal support for Sahrawi independence Algeria has continuously supported the Polisario Front liberation movement 8 Several attempts have been made notably by the United Nations to resolve the Western Sahara issue In mid 2003 the UN Secretary General s Personal Envoy James Baker proposed a settlement plan also referred to as the Baker Plan II The UN s proposal was rejected by Morocco and accepted by the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic As far as bilateral attempts are concerned very little has been achieved as Morocco continues to refuse any concessions that would allow the independence of Western Sahara while Algeria maintains its support for the self determination of the Sahrawis 8 In addition the quarrel between Gaddafi s Libya and Mauritania has not made the task of reinvigorating the organisation any easier Mauritania has accused the Libyan secret service of being involved in a 2003 attempted coup against President Maaouya Ould Sid Ahmed Taya Libya has denied the accusation 12 See also Edit Africa portalMaghrebis African Economic Community AEC Arab League Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa COMESA Economic Community of West African States ECOWAS Euro Mediterranean free trade area EU MEFTA Greater Arab Free Trade Area GAFTA List of trade blocs US Middle East Free Trade Area US MEFTA Union for the Mediterranean UfM References Edit Francesco Tamburini L Union du Maghreb Arabe ovvero l utopia di una organizzazione regionale africana en Africa N 3 2008 p 405 428 Official Website upcoming meetings Archived from the original on 2018 02 08 Retrieved 2016 03 12 Tunisia president in Morocco to promote Maghreb union Al Arabiya 2012 02 08 Retrieved 2017 05 08 Publitec Publications ed 22 December 2011 Who s Who in the Arab World 2007 2008 De Gruyter p 1117 ISBN 978 3 598 07735 7 It was reported in early January 2006 that the largely moribund Arab Maghreb Union AMU had appointed Thorne John February 17 2012 The liberated Maghreb looks to economic union The National Abu Dhabi Tunisia s interim president Moncef Marzouki toured Morocco Mauritania and Algeria last week in a bid to breathe life into the moribund Arab Maghreb Union AMU a planned North African trading bloc While economic integration could boost employment and living standards across the region leaders largely unanswerable to voters dithered for years in making it happen a b UMA Arab Maghreb Union UN Economic Committee for Africa Retrieved 13 September 2014 Bensouiah Azeddine 26 June 2002 June 2002 Stunted growth of the Arab Maghreb Union Panapress a b c d Aggad Faten The Arab Maghreb Union Will the Haemorrhage Lead to Demise African Insight 6 April 2004 Maghreb Taieb Bacchouche New Chairman of Arab Maghreb Union The North Africa Post The North Africa Post 2016 05 06 Retrieved 2017 07 18 Taieb Baccouche Appointed Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union Tunisia TN 2016 05 05 Retrieved 2017 07 18 Le Quotidien d Oran 2003 Le Maghreb en Lambeaux 23 December 2003 p 1 Le Quotidien d Oran 2003 La Libye dement avoir finance un plan presume de coup d Etat en Mauritanie 21 December p 9External links Edit Wikimedia Commons has media related to Arab Maghreb Union Official website Maghreb Arab Online Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Arab Maghreb Union amp oldid 1129106701, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
