Morocco World News/ Maghreb Intelligence
Morocco World News/ Maghreb Intelligence
New York, January 30, 2012
The new Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Islamist Sa’d-eddine El Othmani, traveled to Algeria last Monday, January 23 in his first diplomatic visit. Announced a week earlier, this visit has great significance, particularly for the Algerians. During the last weeks, observers discerned a more moderate attitude of Algerian diplomats in response to the changes that have shaken the Arab world since the last year.
In fact, the Algerian president visited Tunis in mid January in an attempt to clear the decks over misunderstandings between the new Tunisian leadership and El Mouradia. President Abdelaziz Bouteflika sent reconciliatory messages to Morocco during his speech. In his meeting with Sa’d-eddine El Othmani, the Algerian president insisted on the reconstruction of a united Arab Maghreb “in compliance with the international law” alluding to the Western Sahara issue, which has affected the relations between the Maghreb’s two biggest countries.
According to Tunisian officials, the Algerian diplomats refrained from uttering the name of the Sahrawi Democratic Republic during their meetings.
In attempt to break free from its diplomatic isolation, Algerian officials deem it pivotal to revive the Union of Arab Maghreb (UMA). A French diplomat in office in Algeria asserts that “the Algerian leadership is fully aware that the Algerians need tangible actions in order to overlook the delay in the democratization process launched last April.”
According to the same French diplomat, “the Algerian people are more alert to what is taking place in Morocco than the revolutions in Tunisia and Libya. The PJD’s resounding victory and the government formation peacefully orchestrated has stirred admiration among a big segment of the Algerian society.”
President Abdelaziz Bouteflika wants to kill two birds with one stone. A former Algerian prime minister comments, “By receiving El Othmani in Algeria, Bouteflika tries to hasten the much awaited diplomatic normalization between both countries, while holding talks with a minister of foreign affairs elected by the Moroccan people.” Thus, Algerian diplomats are trying to counteract their own reluctance to the opening of borders.
Nevertheless, Algeria is caught in its own trap. A Moroccan political figure who has currently joined the opposition, explains, “Algeria believes that it can mislead the Cherifien palace by rolling out the red carpet to the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs Sa’d-Eddine El Othmani, disregarding the fact that Moroccans remain alert.”
He concludes that “the Algerian officials seem to forget that the political process had been launched in Morocco since 1996, when the monarchy agreed to forego part of its prerogatives to the elected government. In fact, the PJD leading the new government and the Palace enjoy a symbiotic relation especially over national issues.”
Translated by Loubna Flah and edited by Benjamin Villanti
© Morocco World News
