The new foreign minister vows to retain Morocco’s ties with old partners and open a new chapter in relations with neighbours.

By Siham Ali for Magharebia in Rabat – 19/01/12

[AFP/Abdelhak Senna] Morccan Foreign Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani says promoting Maghreb unity is at the top of the kingdom’s foreign policy agenda.

In his first media appearance as head of Moroccan diplomacy, Saad-Eddine El Othmani set out the kingdom’s new foreign policy priorities.

The Maghreb union tops the list.

“We must bring about the rebirth of the structures of the Arab Maghreb Union,” the foreign minister said January 9th in Rabat. “All the conditions are now right to breathe new life into this organisation, which was founded in Marrakech in 1989 and whose activities have been frozen.”

According to El Othmani, the Tunisian and Libyan revolutions have paved the way for “Maghreb integration at every level”.

He defined four main orientations of Morocco’s foreign policy: the Maghreb, the Arab world, Africa and other partners.

The division is dictated by the constitution, El Othmani commented, whose general thrust could not be clearer. The preamble to the fundamental text states that Morocco belongs to the Greater Maghreb and considers work to build the Maghreb union as a strategic choice.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister from the “Lamp Party” reassured critics that the new government would follow the kingdom’s general foreign policy trends. A number of concerns had been raised that the Islamist-dominated government would follow a conservative policy.

Diplomacy is not determined by party considerations, El Othmani maintained. Traditional partnerships, particularly with the European Union, will be maintained. Morocco will continue its policy of openness, adapting to new developments in the region and internationally, he said.

“We shall remain faithful to all the promises we have made internationally, as well as the conventions and protocols which Morocco has signed,” El Othmani announced.

After the January 9th meeting between the foreign minister and top Arab diplomats, Tunisian Ambassador to Rabat Rafik Ben Achour stressed that this kind of meeting was intended to discuss important matters of shared interest, such as inter-Maghreb relations, which need to be reinvigorated.

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Maghreb states, which share a number of specific characteristics, need to respond to the wishes expressed by their peoples and join efforts made by their governments and investors to find common solutions to a number of problems, political analyst Magid Ibrahimi told Magharebia.

“Algeria and Morocco must put an end to their political differences to build a strong union which is capable of being strong in negotiations with other regional bodies, particularly the European Union,” he added. “Economic and agricultural complementarity will also be a sizeable asset.”

Government officials from various countries have sent out some very positive signals in recent months concerning the need to re-launch the Maghreb and promote co-operation, Ibrahimi added.

“On several occasions, King Mohammed VI has indicated a desire to achieve the long-awaited union. Benkirane’s government needs to continue with initiatives aimed at bringing the peoples of the region closer together and improving their daily lives,” the analyst concluded.