Iprismaghreb Review

1 IPRIS Maghreb Review APRIL 2010 Editors’ note tural dynamics in the maghreb, re- The Arab gional developments in the Greater maghreb area, and the role of the five League and PAuLo GoRjão countries in the international system. And TobIAs schumAcheR each publication will contain three the politics director, IPRIs, Lisbon to four short analytical articles, one senior Research Fellow, cIes, more in-depth lead article, a “further reading” list, as well as a monthly of irrelevance IscTe-IuL, Lisbon chronology of events. This month’s IPRIs maghreb Review TobIAs schumAcheR opens with an article by Tobias schu- senior Research Fellow, cIes, macher on the recently held Arab IscTe-IuL, Lisbon Welcome to the first issue of the IP- League summit in sirte, Libya. This RIs maghreb Review. In view of the is followed by an analysis of diogo growing importance of north Africa noivo on Libya within the new inter- on the 27th and 28th of march 2010, for both Portugal and the european national context, and one article by the 22th summit of the Arab League union (eu), and inspired by the ab- hakim darbouche on eu-Algeria en- was held in the Libyan coastal city of sence of a regular policy brief on the ergy relations and the prospects of sirte. colonel Gaddafi, official host of maghreb, it is our pleasure to intro- an eu-Algeria strategic energy part- the meeting and currently chairman duce to you this latest publication of nership. The lead article, written by of the organisation, had welcomed the Portuguese Institute of Interna- mahjoob Zweiri, analyses the growing the heads of states of all 22 member tional Relations and security (IPRIs). influence of Iran in them aghreb, with states, and consequently the politi- From now on, the IPRIs maghreb Re- a particular emphasis on Iran-Alge- cal leaders of all maghreb countries view will be published at the beginning ria and Iran-morocco relations and were invited as well. While Algeria, of each month, featuring exclusively the issue of shi’ism. This is comple- Tunisia and mauritania were repre- the five countries of the Greater Arab mented by a chronology of maghreb- sented at the highest political level, maghreb, i.e. mauritania, Algeria, mo- related events in April and some book moroccan King mohammed VI joined rocco, Tunisia, and Libya. It reaches recommendations. the ranks of seven others – including out to policy-makers, think tanks, the We truly hope you will enjoy this first the then hospitalized egyptian presi- academic community, the media, the edition and find the IPRIs maghreb dent and the saudi king – and gave private sector, and all those that are Review useful. If you have any com- a cold shoulder to an event usually interested in north African affairs. ments or questions, or if are interest- marked by mutual insults, accusa- The IPRIs maghreb Review provides ed in writing for the IPRIs maghreb tions, and a blatant display of Arab its readers with first-class, up-to- Review, please contact the editors or disunity. date analysis on issues pertaining to consult the IPRIs website at www.ip- While the summit was a welcome political, economic, social, and cul- ris.org. opportunity for mauritania’s new IPRIS Maghreb Review | 2 President, mohamed Abdel Aziz, to a few days before the conference, Libya’s generate a sense of normality and, the summit itself was dominated following the ousting of maurita- by very strong anti-Israel rhetoric, enfant terrible: nia’s first democratically elected embodied, for instance, in Algerian President in August 2008, to present President bouteflika’s plea for “firm New international himself as his country’s legitimate positions to confront Israel’s arro- leader, Tunisia’s ben Ali seized the gance and colonization”. At the be- opportunity to lobby for the re-acti- ginning of march, the Arab League context vation of the Arab Peace and secu- had called for indirect talks between rity council and for two Arab league Israel and the Palestinians mediated - same old conferences to be held later this year by the u.s., provided the Israeli gov- in Tunis. Algerian President boutef- ernment would put an end to current attitude lika also indulged in some rhetoric settlement activities. At the summit on the need to reform the League’s however – and following the Israeli dIoGo noIVo structures. Yet, and more important- government’s announcement that it Researcher, IPRIs, Lisbon ly, he used the summit as a platform would pursue settlement construc- to discuss with fellow Arab leaders tion in the West bank and Ramat sh- the latest round of negotiations over lomo – Libya opposed the resump- In january, Libyan leader muammar the future status of the Western sa- tion of peace talks and managed to Gaddafi urged jihad against switzer- hara. conversely, it was precisely bring both more radical-minded and land. According to Gaddafi, this deci- this issue and the prospect of hav- moderate regimes in line with its po- sion was grounded on the result of a ing to meet with bouteflika that led sition. As a consequence, the sum- referendum in which the swiss voted mohammed VI to ignore the gather- mit conclusions omit any reference against the construction of minarets ing and to dispatch only his younger to the issue, and instead foresee the in the country’s mosques. In Gad- brother, Prince moulay Rachid. preparation of a joint Arab action dafi’s own words, “let us wage jihad The summit itself can be sum- plan on key issues, to be discussed against switzerland, Zionism and marised rather briefly, as it turned at an extraordinary summit in octo- foreign aggression” adding that “any out to be just another insubstantial ber. muslim in any part of the world who meeting of a highly divided circle In light of the fact that this document works with switzerland is an apos- of elderly dictators, who – strictly is destined to be drafted by a small tate, is against muhammad, God and speaking – differ from one another group of six Arab leaders, most of the Koran”. This rift spilled over into only by the extent to which their whom are not necessarily known the sphere of the european union, rhetoric and action are more or less for their conciliatory views, the tone with Libya no longer issuing visas radical and nationalistic. In what has and substance of such a document for citizens from the schengen area, become somewhat of a fashion in are likely to disappoint those hop- a practice that was deplored by the recent years, colonel Gaddafi began ing for an Arab League that would – european commission and that only by mocking his counterparts and of- precisely at a moment when it would ended in march. fending first Iraqi foreign minister be most needed – still reach out to however, a look into past events hoshyar Zebari by pledging support Israel’s right-wing government and seems to indicate that Libya’s quarrel to Iraqi ex-baathists, then moved encourage it to engage at least in- with switzerland has more profound on to Qatar’s emir sheikh Al Thani directly in peace talks. Against the and even personal reasons. This call by suggesting he was overweight. backdrop of the organisation’s poor to arms came after switzerland al- While these gaffes provide an indi- political record and its renewed legedly blacklisted close to 200 high- cation of the underlying atmosphere, failure to present itself as a united, ranking Libyans, denying them entry the summit did not produce any con- viable and forward-looking mecha- permits – a list that was said to in- crete results, neither with respect nism, this will be interpreted by clude Gaddafi himself, and his family. to the League’s future relations with many in the u.s., in europe and the moreover, hannibal Gaddafi and Aline Iran, nor its transformation into a middle east, but also in Israel, as yet skaf, respectively the Libyan leader’s more integrated union. more proof that the Arab Peace Plan son and wife, were arrested in Geneva concerning the unresolved Israeli- adopted by the Arab League in 2002, in july 2008, both accused of assault- Palestinian conflict, the gathering was an exceptional and probably ing two employees of a swiss hotel, al- proved to be rather meaningless. unique achievement of an organisa- though charges were dropped shortly Preceded by mauritania’s rather tion that must today justify why it is after. These past episodes were quick surprising decision to cut all dip- still considered by some to be an im- to elicit retaliation: Libya suspended lomatic relations with Israel just portant political player. the supply of oil, moved billions of IPRIS Maghreb Review | 3 dollars from swiss banks, recalled its it happened before Ramadan as well EU-Algerian diplomats and, in the same month in as before Gaddafi’s first speech at which Gaddafi’s wife and son were de- the united nations in years. Fur- relations tained in Geneva, Tripoli issued arrest thermore, Al-megrahi’s release warrants against two swiss business- prevented any further investigation need men, Rachid hamdani and max Goeldi. into undisclosed details regarding hamdani was allowed to leave Libya in the terrorist attack in scotland. The january 2010 and max Goeldi is serv- united Kingdom and the u.s. were “energizing” ing a four-month sentence in prison the target of harsh criticism, both for violating immigration rules, after domestic and foreign. In spite of re- hAKIm Darbouche a tense stand-off outside the swiss quests made to Libyan authorities Research Fellow, oxford Institute for embassy in Libya where Goeldi was by the u.s.

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