Rabat – The Permanent Representative of Algeria to the UN Ambassador Nadir Larbaoui refuted rumors on Friday about Polisario separatists’ potential participation in the coming Arab Summit.
Explaining the Algerian government’s stance on the “false and baseless news,” Larbaoui told Echorouk News, “We categorically refute this news [that] cast doubt on Algeria’s sincere intention in organizing and presiding over this summit.”
The ambassador further noted that the “historic summit” would provide an opportunity to reform the Arab League, stressing that only members of the League would take part in the regional gathering scheduled for November 1-2 in Algiers.
Larbaoui went on to explain that the Algerian-backed separatist entity “is not a member of the Arab League”
For Algiers, the summit would be an opportunity to attempt to strengthen Algeria’s presence and develop partnerships with the Arab world given the solid Arab support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the Western Sahara dispute.
According to “well-informed” Algerian diplomatic sources cited by Jeune Afrique, Morocco’s King Mohammed VI would personally attend the Arab Summit in Algeria next month, along with Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan.
King Mohammed VI has repeatedly called for “frank dialogue” with Algeria in an effort to promote regional stability and prosperity. However, the monarch has insisted that Morocco’s territorial integrity is non-negotiable.
While King Mohammed VI’s potential participation in the Algiers summit could be considered an achievement for the organizers of the regional summit given the ongoing tensions between the two countries, six Arab leaders are expected to miss the event.
The list includes the presidents of the UAE and Lebanon, the Emir of Kuwait, the King of Bahrain, the Sultan of Oman, and the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
Algeria’s close relations with Iran are a likely source for the absence of several prominent regional leaders from the summit. Morocco’s foreign minister Nasser Bourita and UN Ambassador Omar Hilale have pointed to links between Tehran and Algiers as a regional threat.
“The Iranian regime is the official sponsor of separatism and terrorist groups in a number of Arab countries,” Bourita stated in a recent speech, describing Iranian support for “armed non-state actors,” a “threat to regional and international peace.”
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