Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi is due to arrive in Tunis late Wednesday for talks on bilateral relations and the revival of the regional Arab Maghreb Union (UMA), Tunisia's foreign ministry announced.
Kadhafi will be greeted by Tunisian President Zine El-Abidine Ben Ali. Talks between the two leaders are expected to center on the Middle East peace process, the UMA and economic ties between the two states.
The UMA, grouping Algeria, Libya, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia, was created in 1989 but it has been dormant since 1995 mainly because of disagreement between Algiers and Rabat over the Western Sahara issue.
Algeria backs the separatist Polisario movement in the Western Sahara, annexed by Morocco in 1975.
There has been a flurry of diplomatic activity over recent months in a bid to resurrect the grouping and organize a Magreb summit by the end of the year.
On the economic front, Tunisia and Libya aim to increase their bilateral trade from 700 million dollars to one billion dollars annually. The two countries have also launched joint projects, including the development of a oil well in the Gulf of Gabes.
Kadhafi's visit is due to last until at least Saturday – TUNIS (AFP)
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