Unity Attempt Fails Again in North Africa

Another attempt to achieve unity in the Maghreb region of North Africa has failed with the Tunisian government’s decision to abandon secret diplomatic contacts aimed at convening a summit with Morocco and Algeria.

The decision coincided with the breakdown of another round of secret talks between Morocco and Algeria aimed at reaching a compromise on the nine-year-old war over the Western Sahara territory.

Tunisia Foreign Minister Beji Caid Essebsi said the summit idea was set aside three weeks ago “in order to permit our Maghreb brothers to pursue their dialogue.” That translated as: There is no dialogue, and there are no brothers.

The name Maghreb--the word means “west” in Arabic--generally refers to Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. The region’s 45 million Arabs, most of them Sunni Muslims of Berber heritage, have tried to form a loose federation of unity since French colonialists left more than 20 years ago. But political differences among the three governments and the continuing war have prevented any meaningful progress.

Algerian-Backed Rebels

King Hassan II of Morocco, whose soldiers are fighting the Algerian-backed Polisario movement in the Western Sahara, refuses to negotiate with the guerrillas and advocates a U.N.-sponsored referendum to determine the territory’s future. Algeria’s leftist government says the Polisario must be included in any settlement.

Last November, Algeria managed to get the Polisario seated as a member of the Organization of African Unity. Morocco responded by withdrawing from the 50-member group, and Hassan’s trip to the Western Sahara on March 13 seemed to imply that Morocco would have nothing more to say on the issue until a referendum is held.

Although Libya has withdrawn its financial support from the Polisario, according to Moroccan intelligence analysts, the movement received new armaments through Algeria late last year, including 50 T-55 tanks and 60 Warsaw Pact amphibious armored personnel carriers known as BNP-1s. Morocco captured eight of the vehicles in one battle last October.