Algeria\'s foreign minister has asked his regional counterparts for a North Africa-wide approach to the threat of terrorist groups and criminal networks smuggling drugs and weapons. He says the most serious threat to the region were the links between the extremist militant groups and criminal networks as well as the money laundering funding their activities. Mourad Medelci addressed Monday the opening of a foreign ministers\' meeting of the Arab Maghreb Union, which includes Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Mauritania and Morocco. The five countries all border the Sahara where smugglers traffic in weapons and drugs and extremist groups with links to Al-Qaeda kidnap foreigners. The decades-old AMU has achieved little concrete due to an ongoing rivalry between Morocco and Algeria, its two most powerful members.