Union tuniso-Libyan woman
The Union tuniso-Libyan woman or Islamic Arab République is a political project which, in 1973 - 1974, following a series of events, failed to lead to the unification of the Tunisia and of the Libya.
Regional context
The Israeli-Arab wars (of which the War of Kippour between the Egypt and Israel) mark the defeat of the Arab nations again.On its side, Tunisia is shaken and weakened by the crisis induced by the socialist policy followed by the Minister for the economy Ahmed Ben Salah.
In Libya, on September 1st 1969, Mouammar Kadhafi shift king Idriss Ier and his important charisma allow much to find in him the new Arab hero, that which would erase humiliations due to Israel, which would take up the challenge of the Occident and would return its pride in the Arab world.
The Panarabisme - “an Arab nation which works for its unit of the Atlantique to the Persian Gulf” - is defended by Gamal Abdel Nasser and taken again by Kadhafi after the death of this one in 1970. Kadhafi then courts Egypt, the Algérie and the Syria. Thus, in spite of the failure of fusion Egypt Syria in a United Arab Republic, created in 1958 and dissolved four years later, that does not prevent Egypt and Libya to announce their total fusion which is supposed to take effect on September 1st, 1973.
In this context, the Maghrebian co-operation aiming at harmonizing the economic policies of the four North-African countries , by the means of the Standing Committee of Maghrebian coordination created in November 1964 with Tangier, is a failure.
Incident of the Palm house
At the time of the visit of Kadhafi in Tunisia the December 15th 1973, in the tread of the égypto-Libyan merger plan and the hope to enlist there Tunisia, this last makes a speech surprised with the Palmarium of Tunis in front of more than 2000 people where it launches out in a panarabic pleading. The president Habib Bourguiba, who listens to this speech with the radio since the presidential palace of Carthage, then decides to go to carry the counterpart to him. It arrives in waterspout, with general amazement and, almost cutting the word with its host, improvises a harangue associating its personal destiny with that of its country, while inserting one and the other in the “movement of the centuries”. It apostrophizes Kadhafi by pointing out her Légitimité to him and quotes then the transitory union of Egypt and Syria, then the tripartite project of union with Libya and declares that the Arab unit cannot be impromptu. In spite of this incident, the visit gives positive tests with an economic agreement on the continental shelf (equipped with reserves of Pétrole) and the freedom of the comings and goings between the two countries. The union with Egypt is buried thereafter and Bourguiba, reassured, share to comfort Kadhafi and to render comprehensible to him that the future of Libya passes by the Maghreb and not the Machrek.
Union still-born child
Whereas the Prime Minister Hédi Nouira is in official visit in Iran since the January 7th and that the wife of the president, Wassila Bourguiba, is in round with the the Middle East, Kadhafi wishes to discuss with Bourguiba (sick since several years) and presents to the improvist at the border post Short-nap cloth Jedir the January 11th to spend the night to the Ulysses hotel on the island of Jerba. On arrival of Bourguiba to the Hotel, the following day, Kadhafi requires a maintenance in private conversation to him. One hour later, Mohamed Masmoudi, Tunisian Foreign Minister, announces that the two leaders fell from agreement so that the two countries constitute the Islamic Arab Republic. It would have only one constitution, only one flag, only one president, only one army and the same legislative powers, executive and legal. A Référendum on this union would take place the January 18th. The list of the government is drawn up with Bourguiba as president, Kadhafi as vice-president, Abdessalam Jalloud like Prime Minister, Masmoudi as Deputy Prime Minister and a series of Tunisian and Libyan ministers.However, this union lasts only a few hours and exists only by the acts signed jointly by the two Heads of State. Nouira, of return of Teheran, is amazed by the events and proclamation its dissension major. The foreign reactions (in particular of Algeria, the France and the the United States) are also hostile. On its return of Jerba, Bourguiba declares whereas the referendum is deferred to March. The February 5th, the union is denounced by Habib Achour, general secretary of the Tunisian General union of work, like by the appointed of the National Assembly.
Already, as of at the end of January, the Tunisian newspapers are unanimous to denounce this union because it is resulting from a simple declaration and not from an international treaty which requires, to be juridically valid, to be ratified by each Parliament of the two countries concerned. Moreover, the union is subjected in Tunisia to the procedure chief clerk. However, at the time, the Tunisian constitution does not envisage this procedure and it would have been necessary to proceed its revision before.
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