The World : North African Unity Fails

Tunisia abandoned secret diplomatic contacts aimed at convening a summit with Morocco and Algeria, marking the demise of another attempt to achieve unity among the three North African countries. Morocco and Algeria also broke off secret talks aimed at reaching a compromise on the nine-year-old guerrilla war over the Western Sahara. The region’s 45 million Arabs have tried to form a loose federation since the French colonialists left more than 20 years ago, but political differences and continuing wars have blocked progress.