Tunisia's President Kaïs Saïed appointed Tarek Ben Salem, a diplomat, as the new Secretary General of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA) Monday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported by the Tunisian press agency (TAP). Ben Salem's term will begin on June 1st and last for three years. This appointment is in accordance with «the provisions of the founding treaty of the Arab Maghreb Union of 1989, on the proposal of the President of the Republic, Kaïs Saïed, and with the approval of all the heads of state and government of the UMA member states», the same source said. Tarek Ben Salem will succeed the Tunisian Taïeb Baccouche, who was appointed to this post in May 2016 following a meeting of the foreign ministers of the UMA member countries. This appointment follows tensions between Algeria and the UMA, particularly regarding the term of the previous Secretary General. Algeria previously objected to the extended term of Taïeb Baccouche, who is succeeded by Ben Salem, a former ambassador to Russia. The regional body created in Marrakech on February 17, 1989, «has no activity, not even a secretary general with the prerogatives of a secretary general», stressed the Algerian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Attaf, in statements to the press. The position of Secretary General traditionally rotates among UMA member states, with Tunisia holding the current slot. This appointment comes five weeks after a meeting in Tunis focused on the Algerian proposal for a UMA structure that excludes Morocco.
