The Press WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1974. Tunisia and Libya talk of union

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33434, 16 January 1974, Page 12

The Press WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 16, 1974. Tunisia and Libya talk of union

The road to Arab unity has been paved with the good intentions of Colonel Gadaffi of Libya. On the face of it, his latest plan for a merger between Libya and its western neighbour, Tunisia, is no more likely to produce substantial results than earlier schemes for association with Egypt and Syria. Although union with Egypt is still said to be proceeding, progress has been much too slow for Colonel Gadaffi’s liking. The Libyan leader, and President Bourguiba of Tunisia are unlikely partners: President Bourguiba is regarded as pro-Western and accepts the existence of Israel; Colonel Gadaffi is the embodiment of Arab nationalism, devoutly—some say fanatically—Moslem, and preaches a Holy War against Israel. Their countries’ customs differ. Libyan women are subordinate to men under Moslem law. Tunisian women have equal status. When the merger between Egypt and Libya was proposed, Egyptian women would have none of Colonel Gadaffi’s views on the place of women. The same attitude might be found among Tunisian women, who will not fail to observe that the character of the new, united State may be discerned from its name: the Islamic Arab Republic. But if the union is approved. President Bourguiba, who is 70, will probably be the first leader of the new Republic. Even so, the benefits for Libya from the merger are much clearer than those for Tunisia. Colonel Gadaffi’s reputation will be richly enhanced if he manages finally to achieve a merger of even two Arab States. This would be something which the late President Nasser of Egypt, m spite of 15 years of planning, did not achieve. The merger would give Libya a greater voice in the Arab world, and would appear to justify Colonel Gadaffi’s return to what he would describe as a more pure standard of Islamic values. Tunisia, while paying some lip-service to Arab unity and purity, is more likely to find economic benefit in the union. After Lebanon, Tunisia is the most sophisticated and Westernised State in the Arab world, but it is small, lacking in natural resources, and has a population of more than five million. Libya, large and with a population less than that of New Zealand, is wealthy because of its revenue from oil, which many Tunisians might soon expect to share. The mixed reception that the merger proposal is likely to be given in Tunisia is being matched by the response in other Arab countries. Algeria, which shares a common border with Libya and Tunisia, is thoroughly sceptical; Egypt has welcomed the union with an enthusiasm which might diminish rapidly when its effects on the moribund “ Federation of “ Arab Republics ” —embracing Libya, Egypt and Syria—becomes clear. Sudan, which refused to join the federation, will regard any union with distaste; Morocco also has good reason to distrust Colonel Gadaffi, who has given support to revolutionaries intent on overthrowing King Hassan. Jordan, which President Bourguiba suggested should give up its monarchy and become a home for the Palestinian refugees, will also be hostile. Reports from Tunisia which suggest that the new, unified State would be a base for spreading Arab influence please hardly anyone. Colonel Gadaffi’s identification of his own Interests with those of all Arabs finds only a small echo outside Libya.