Rabat – Disagreements emerged during the preparatory meeting of foreign minister of the Arab League on Sunday after the Moroccan delegation demanded a discussion on Iran’s collusion with Polisario, news channel Al Arabiya reported.
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita reportedly demanded that Iranian supplies of drones to the Polisario front and its targeting of Arab targets in Morocco or the gulf should be added to the meeting agenda.
This was followed by his Algerian counterpart Ramtane Lamamra refusing the proposal, to which the Moroccan diplomat protested.
“You don’t have the right to refuse,” the news channel quoted Bourita as saying. “There is a vote and a consensus.”
Concerns over Iranian funding of Polisario are not new. Morocco cut its ties with the country in 2018, accusing Iranian proxy Hezbollah of arming and training the separatist front.
Although both Iran and the Polisario denied the claims, Morocco said it had backed its claims with extensive reports detailing meetings held in Algeria between Hezbollah and Polisario officials.
Bourita said in a series of interviews that the files contained data on the venues and dates of the meetings, as well as the names of those involved.
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A Moroccan delegation headed by Bourita is currently in Algiers for the working meeting of foreign ministers in preparation of the Arab League Summit. The visit is notable as Algeria had cut ties with its neighbor more than a year ago.
The visit has been accompanied, however, with reports of provocations from the Algerian organizing committee towards the Moroccan delegation.
In addition to the absence of a formal reception of Bourita by his Algerian counterpart, an Algerian news outlet used a divided map of Morocco, prompting an official response from the General Secretariat of the Arab League.
