Just 24 hours after meeting with the Algerian and Tunisian presidents in Tunis to discuss Algeria's proposal for a Maghreb excluding Morocco, Libyan Presidential Council President Mohamed Younes Al-Manfi sent his brother to Rabat with a written message for King Mohammed VI. Sami Al-Manfi met with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita on Tuesday, April 23rd. Libya's Ambassador to Morocco, Abubakr Ibrahim Attawil, emphasized «efforts aimed at strengthening the Arab Maghreb Union to meet the aspirations of the region's peoples for more stability and prosperity». He also welcomed «the active role played by Morocco in favor of Maghreb integration». The Moroccan news agency (MAP) quoted «a source close to the Libyan Presidential Council» who «categorically rejected any attempt to create an alternative framework to replace the Arab Maghreb Union». The source emphasized the need to strengthen the existing regional body established in Marrakech in 1989. Within Libya, Morocco enjoys support from influential figures on diplomatic, tribal, and military levels. Rabat can rely on allies including the internationally recognized President of the House of Representatives in Tobruk, Saleh Al-Fakhieh Al-Ghilah; the eastern Libyan government, led by Prime Minister Fathi Bashagha (not recognized by the United Nations); General Khalifa Haftar (close to the United Arab Emirates); and the new President of the Libyan Supreme Council of State, Mohammed Miftah Tekalla (successor to Khalid Al-Mashri, another friend of Morocco). Tekalla himself visited Rabat in December 2023 to meet with Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita.
