Replacing the Secretary-General raises hopes for overcoming obstacles in the Arab Maghreb Union

In accordance with what was stipulated in its founding treaty, and at the suggestion of Tunisian President Kais Saied, and after the approval of all leaders of the member states of the Maghreb Union, Tunisian diplomat Tariq Ben Salem was appointed as the new Secretary-General of this Maghreb bloc, succeeding his compatriot Tayeb Bacouche. The new Secretary-General will begin his duties starting next June, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Migration and Tunisians Abroad.

This new appointment comes to end the crisis that had erupted between the Algerian government and Tayeb Bakouche, whose term ended on July 31, 2022, against the backdrop of the appointment of Moroccan Amina Salman as permanent representative of the federation to the African Union, amid Algerian accusations against the General Secretariat of “bias,” which she rejected. Finally, Algeria is required to pay the outstanding dues it owes. Meanwhile, Maghreb politicians praised this new appointment, which they considered an important step towards putting the Maghreb Union on the path to assuming roles in managing the region’s crises.

A necessary step

In this regard, Ahmed Onis, the former Tunisian Foreign Minister, said: “The appointment of Tariq Ben Salem as a successor to Mr. Tayeb Bakouche, whose term ended a while ago, is an important and necessary step, even though we were very late in Tunisia in presenting an alternative candidate,” noting that “the new Secretary-General A capable diplomat who believes in the Maghreb message, he will be a good mediator and will seek to overcome the obstacles that prevent the activation of this union.”

Onis added, in a statement to Hespress, that “the task of the new official will certainly be difficult, given the set of obstacles placed by the Algerian government,” adding: “But we must fill this void to affirm our belief in the Maghreb Union project that transcends people and narrow interests.” “.

In the same context, the spokesman pointed out that “the new Secretary-General will face obstacles in achieving effective communication between the leaders of the Maghreb countries, especially since Algeria has confirmed through its leaders that it no longer believes in this Maghreb institution, and therefore there is a group of objective and political difficulties that will complicate his work.”

Submitted files

Ahmed Ould Obeid, Vice President of the Mauritanian “Al-Sawab” Party, stated that “the appointment of a new Secretary-General of the Arab Maghreb Union is an essential and constructive step towards reviving this bloc on which the Maghreb peoples are betting and reality imposes its reactivation, as today’s world no longer believes in anything other than “With unions and blocs that reflect the common will to overcome the various challenges taking place on the global scene.”

The same Mauritanian politician explained, in a statement to Hespress, that “the Maghreb countries possess all the components, capabilities and means that will make the Maghreb Union a regional bloc and influential in the political and economic equations in the region and in the world.”

Regarding the most prominent files awaiting the new Secretary-General, Ould Abeid recorded that “Tariq Ben Salem will find on his table a group of important and sensitive files, but the file that must have priority is working to activate the union and its institutions and put it on the right track in order to contribute to achieving the desired integration between… The peoples and countries of the region,” adding that “the Sahara file will also be among these files, while Rabat has taken important steps to resolve it.” Therefore, the new Maghreb official must work to move this issue forward, the solution of which will constitute a strong boost for this bloc.”

New blood

An official Libyan source close to the Libyan Presidential Council commented on this step by saying, “This new appointment comes within the framework of renewing blood in the Maghreb Union so that it can play its role in the crises that the region is witnessing, especially in light of the rapid developments that have begun to worry most countries, such as the spread of groups.” Terrorism and civil wars.”

The same source added, “Unfortunately, the Maghreb Union had an absent role in many of the region’s crises, whether in Libya or elsewhere, and did not play any effective role in them. Therefore, the appointment of a new official at the head of the Union will push towards its effective contribution to resolving these crises.” .

The Hespress source confirmed that “Libya always looks to the roles of organizations concerned with the region in resolving the problems and circumstances that the Libyan state is going through, and in serving stability in the region, because the state of stalemate does not serve anyone in the face of the emergence of new variables that no Maghreb state can remain immune to.” .