Five days after the reception of the Permanent Representative of the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) to the African Union (AU), Moroccan Amina Selmane, by the Chairman of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat in Addis -Abeba, and the hysterical communiqué of the Algerian diplomacy, the general secretariat of the UMA finally responded. His scathing response undermines the Algerian regime.
Attacking the UMA, its secretary general, the Tunisian Taieb Baccouche, and Moussa Faki Mahamat-qualified as “irresponsible”, Algeria was severely pulled up by the General Secretariat of the organization North African which reveals the underside of the real intentions of Algiers concerning the Maghreb integration project. Between the statements of Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune and the reality on the ground, there is a big difference.
The AMU General Secretariat began by recalling the context of the inauguration of the representation within the AU. A decision “which was the subject of an agreement with the chairman of the AU Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat in January 2018”, he said in a press release.
The agreement was known to all “without anyone opposing it with reservations”, specified the organization in response to the angry response from Algiers, while adding that the implementation of the project was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
“We have finally been able to appoint the Director of Economic Affairs at the AMU General Secretariat, in a context where the Regional Economic Communities (RECs) are considered by the African Union as its essential pillars in the implementation of the Agenda 2063 of the African Union, particularly in terms of continental economic integration, the prerequisite of which is regional integration,” the document said.
The press release dismantled all the allegations made by Algeria, one after the other, in particular by dwelling on the case of the Secretary General of the AMU, the Tunisian Taïeb Baccouche.
The secretariat has demonstrated that Algeria was the initiator of the discord, even if its press release which fires red balls at the organization for having appointed a Moroccan woman testifies in itself to the visceral hatred of the Algerian leaders towards Morocco.
The text indicates that the mandate of Taïeb Baccouche has been extended, while he repeatedly asked that a successor be appointed. The secretariat adds that Algeria, which hosted the last Arab Summit in November 2022, did not invite the Tunisian even the Arab League, the body in question, had invited him.
“The organizing party (referring to Algeria) failed to invite him to do so, even if (Baccouche, editor’s note) received an official invitation from the Secretary General of the Arab League to attend”, specified the Arab Maghreb Union.
About Moussa Faki Mahamat, the published document indicates that he only applied the
article 20 of the agreement between the AU and the eight regional organizations of the continent and the secretariat to express his sadness about the Algerian “attack” he had to undergo.
“We regret the attack on the chairperson of the African Union, Moussa Faki Mahamat, describing him in inappropriate terms [tels que l’irresponsabilité] because he applied the law and officially received the credentials of Ms. Amina Selmane,” the SG said.
Concerning the Moroccan Amina Selmane, whose nationality poses a problem for Algeria, the UMA recalls that she was already director of economic affairs at the general secretariat of the Arab Maghreb Union and that by taking the oath in this capacity, she “has thus become a North African diplomat, working with the Secretary General and not with her country which nominated her” and that she works at the African level with the President of the African Union.
The secretariat dealt a coup de grace to Algerian diplomacy by exposing another lie contained in the latter’s angry reaction. While his press release spoke of a certain “attachment” of Algeria to the AMU, Algerian diplomacy was confronted by facts with the reality of its failures in its financial commitments.
The North African organization indicated that all member countries are up to date in their financial contributions except Algeria. Even Libya, which is in a most critical situation due to political and security instability, has paid its commitments until 2022, while Algeria has not paid since 2016 and withdrew its accredited diplomats in July 2022.
“All have enjoyed their rights and pay by drawing on contributions from other member states,” said the Secretariat, exposing the practices of the Algerian regime. “We hope that the attachment shown by Algeria materializes through the settlement of the outstanding balance and the return of the recalled diplomats”, tackled the document.