TUNIS: Tunisia said Saturday it would recall its ambassador from Morocco for consultations, a day after the kingdom did the same in response to Tunisia’s president hosting the Polisario movement’s head.
The Polisario wants an independent state in the Western Sahara, a vast stretch of mineral-rich desert which Morocco sees as a sovereign part of its own territory.
Tunisian President Kais Saied had on Friday hosted Polisario chief Brahim Ghali who arrived to attend the Japanese-African investment conference TICAD.
In response to what it called a “hostile” and “unnecessarily provocative” act, Morocco immediately withdrew its Tunis ambassador for consultations and canceled its own participation in the high-profile conference.
On Saturday the Tunisian Foreign Ministry voiced its “surprise” at Morocco’s reaction.
“Tunisia has maintained its total neutrality on the Western Sahara issue in line with international law,” it said in a statement.
“This position will not change until the concerned parties find a peaceful solution acceptable to all.”
Saied spent much of Friday welcoming African leaders arriving for the TICAD conference, including Ghali who is also president of the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).
Morocco accused Tunisia of “unilaterally” inviting the Polisario chief “against the advice of Japan and in violation of the process of preparation and established rules.”
But Tunisia said Saturday the African Union had issued a direct invitation to the SADR, a member state, to join the conference, noting that it had attended previous such gatherings — alongside Morocco.
The move came as French President Emmanuel Macron visited Morocco’s arch-rival and Polisario backer Algeria for a three-day visit aimed at healing ties with the former French colony.
It is not the first time that Ghali’s travels have sparked Moroccan anger.
In April 2021, he headed to Spain to be treated for Covid-19, sparking a year-long diplomatic row between Spain and the North African kingdom.
That only ended after Madrid dropped its decades-long stance of neutrality over the Western Sahara — a former Spanish colony — and backed a Moroccan plan for limited self-rule there.
The Polisario had waged an armed struggle before agreeing to a cease-fire in 1991 on the promise of a UN-supervised referendum on self-determination, which has never happened.
The African Union’s chairman Macky Sall, in a speech to TICAD delegates on Saturday, said he “regretted the absence of Morocco.”
“We hope that this problem will find a solution for the smooth running of our partnership” between Africa and Japan, he said.
Tunisia recalls Morocco envoy in Western Sahara row
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Tunisia recalls Morocco envoy in Western Sahara row
- Tunisian President Kais Saied had hosted Polisario chief Brahim Ghali who arrived in Japanese-African investment conference
- Morocco earlier withdrew its Tunis ambassador and canceled its participation in the conference
Saudi deputy minister of interior heads delegation at first conference to combat drug trafficking
- Kingdom’s participation in the conference was an extension of its efforts in the war on drugs
MAUTIRIUS: Dr. Nasser bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dawood, Saudi deputy minister of interior, headed the Kingdom’s delegation participating in the first conference to combat drug trafficking and substance abuse, held in Mauritius, which concluded on Thursday.
Al-Dawood said that the Kingdom’s participation in the conference was an extension of its efforts in the war on drugs, monitoring and diagnosing their effects and harms, and strengthening international cooperation procedures and information exchange to combat the activities of organized crime networks in general, and drug crime in particular.
Cultural Communication Center holds human communication diwaniya
- The diwaniya tackled three themes
SAKAKA: The King Abdulaziz Center for Cultural Communication in cooperation with Al-Jouf Youth Association, held the Cultural Communication Diwaniya “Basic Pillars for Human Communication in the Kingdom” in Sakaka on Thursday.
The diwaniya tackled three themes: the ethics of human communication; the dimensions of human communication according to Vision 2030; and human communication according to international law.
Abdulaziz bin Abdulwahad Al-Hamwan, the center’s supervisor in Al-Jouf, said the goals of diwaniya were to “enhance national and human communication, consolidate the values of national cohesion, and spread the culture of human communication skills among beneficiaries.”
Global logistics giant shows interest in developing Pakistan’s first green transshipment terminal
- APM Terminals sent a delegation to meet Pakistani officials and discuss the modernization of its ports
- The integrated container logistics company also develops and operates ports in countries across the world
ISLAMABAD: A delegation from a leading logistics company, A.P. Moller-Maersk (APM) Terminals, expressed interest in developing the first transshipment terminal in Pakistan while holding a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday.
Maersk is an integrated container logistics company operating in 130 countries. APM Terminals has been developing and operating advanced ports and container terminals for over half a century and has 60 strategically located ports and container terminals around the globe and several more in development.
The company delegation arrived in Pakistan earlier this week to discuss the possibility of developing and modernizing the South Asian nation’s ports and held separate meetings with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and Minister for Maritime Affairs Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh.
“The prime minister expressed interest in cooperation between Pakistan and Denmark in the fields of agriculture and environment-friendly energy projects,” Radio Pakistan reported after Sharif’s meeting with the delegation led by the company CEO Keith Svendsen.
“Svendsen expressed satisfaction on the investment and business friendly policies of Pakistan,” it added. “He showed interest in the first green transshipment terminal of Pakistan in Karachi.”
The construction of the project would allow large cargo ships to utilize the Karachi port, helping the country earn greater revenue.
Previously, the country’s finance minister told the delegation Pakistan was keen to explore future projects and investments with APM, especially in the maritime sector.
“The government is fully committed to facilitate an environment conducive to business and investments,” he told them.
Svendsen and his delegation also met the maritime affairs minister on Thursday and discussed investment prospects in Pakistan’s ports and terminals sector.
“The delegation head highlighted Moller-Maersk’s prominent global position and its robust relationship with Pakistan, which reflects a market share of approximately 20 percent in containerized import-export activities,” Radio Pakistan said.
“Recognizing the immense growth potential, Keith Svendsen proposed investments to enhance integrated supply chain solutions, including the upgrading of ports and logistics infrastructure. The delegation pledged support for the advancement of maritime affairs in Pakistan and for nurturing a skilled workforce in this sector.”
On Monday, Pakistani and United Arab Emirates (UAE) officials performed the groundbreaking of a $175 million Bulk and General Cargo terminal as part of a new 25-year concession agreement signed between AD Ports Group and Karachi Port Trust (KPT) in Feb. 2024 to outsource operations of the terminal.
Under the terms of the agreement, Karachi Gateway Terminal Multipurpose Limited (KGTML), a joint venture between AD Ports Group, as a majority shareholder, and Kaheel Terminals, a UAE-based company, will develop, operate and manage the Bulk and General Cargo Terminal, berths 11 to 17 at Karachi Port’s East Wharf.
Minister of Islamic affairs holds meeting to discuss this year’s Hajj season
- Focus on various volunteering opportunities
RIYADH: Saudi Minister of Islamic Affairs, Dawah and Guidance Sheikh Abdullatif Al-Asheikh held a meeting in Jeddah on Thursday to discuss the ministry’s activities and projects during this year’s Hajj season.
The meeting was held in the presence of the ministry’s undersecretaries, the directors general of the ministry’s branch in the Makkah region, and the secretary-general for Islamic awareness in Hajj, Umrah and visitation, as well as several other officials.
The minister focused on the most prominent ongoing projects, and progress in the preparation of the ministry’s facilities and services, including the mosques at the holy sites, the central area in Makkah, and activities provided by the ministry.
He looked at the importance of volunteering opportunities during this year’s Hajj season, and following up on special projects at the mosques and holy sites that serve pilgrims during this year’s Hajj.
Saudi Film ‘Hajjan’ wins 6 nominations at Critics Awards for Arab Films
DUBAI: Saudi Arabia-based film “Hajjan,” directed by Egyptian filmmaker Abu Bakr Shawky, is nominated for six categories at the eighth Critics Awards for Arab Films.
The movie is competing in the best feature film, best screenplay, best actor, best music, best cinematography and best editing categories.
“Hajjan” tells the story of Matar, a boy who embarks on a journey across the desert with his camel, Hofira.
The movie is a co-production between the Kingdom’s King Abdulaziz Center for World Culture, or Ithra, and Egyptian producer Mohamed Hefzy’s Film Clinic.
The movie, which is written by Omar Shama from Egypt and the Kingdom’s Mufarrij Almajfel, stars Saudi actors Abdulmohsen Al-Nemer, Ibrahim Al-Hsawi, among others.
The awards ceremony, scheduled for May 18 on the sidelines of the Cannes Film Festival, is organized by the Arab Cinema Center in Cairo and assessed by a panel of 209 critics representing 72 countries.
Sudanese director Mohamed Kordofani’s inaugural feature film, “Goodbye Julia,” and Tunisian filmmaker Kaouther Ben Hania’s Oscar-nominated documentary, “Four Daughters,” scored nominations in seven categories.
Jordanian filmmaker Amjad Al-Rasheed’s “Inshallah A Boy” and Palestinian-British director Farah Nabulsi’s “The Teacher” have six nominations.
