Rabat – The Arab League has sent a memo to its member states and partners informing them of the League’s decision to adopt a full map of Morocco, which includes the country’s southern provinces, in all events.
The message was sent along with a map that shows Morocco including its southern provinces and read: “Please be informed of the importance of using the (attached) map of Arab countries adopted by the League of Arab States.”
The decision comes ahead of the next Arab summit which is to be held in Algeria this coming March.
Algeria had previously shown intentions to use the summit as a way to display hostilities against Morocco.
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Algiers’ Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra said previously that the summit is should be “a symposium of inter-Arab solidarity and support for the Palestinian cause and the Sahrawi people.”
Algeria has e also been making similar efforts to get other regional organizations such as the African Union involved in the Sahara conflict.
The Arab League’s memo is bound to undermine such efforts, and add to a growing list of support that Morocco has been getting for its territorial integrity.
The General Secretariat of the International Confederation of Arab Trade Unions also sent a similar directive to its partners, instructing them to use the same map for their events.
Notably, countries from the Gulf such as Qatar and the UAE have reiterated their support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, a move that reportedly peeved Algeria.
The United States also expressed its recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the southern provinces a year ago, compounding the frustration of both Algeria and the separatist Polisario Front.
The diplomatic friction between Morocco and Algeria hit a high in August this year, when Algiers unilaterally cut relations with Morocco, accusing it of hostility and criticizing its normalization of ties with Israel.
Despite several calls for de-escalation and dialogue, Algiers seems persistent in wanting to escalate further.
The Algerian regime has been adamant in its determination to redraw Morocco’s map, and it remains to be seen whether Algiers will comply with the Arab League’s decision on the use of a complete map of Morocco.
