Étiquette : Western Sahara

  • CNI alerted that Morocco used Ceuta crisis to force a change on Sahara

    CNI alerted that Morocco used Ceuta crisis to force a change on Sahara

    Spain, CNI, secrets services, Morocco, Ceuta, migration, Frente Polisario, Western Sahara, Brahim Ghali, Algeria

    The intelligence services concluded that the massive arrival of immigrants in May was a « pressure » tool of Morocco against the Spanish government to push a change in the stance of the former colony.

    New information from the CNI (National Intelligence Center). State security forces were overwhelmed on May 18, 2021, when more than 8,000 people irregularly crossed the Ceuta border. The images of young people running around the fence to get around it and swimming with plastic bottles to reach Spanish territory went around the world and called into question diplomatic relations between the two neighboring countries. As El Pais advances, after more than a year of this migratory crisis, it is known that the CNI sent several reports in which it delved into relations with Rabat after the arrival in Spain of the leader of POLISARIO Brahim Gali, and the position of Morocco.

    The document reflects that Spanish Intelligence warned the PM that the arrival of the thousands of Moroccans was part of a strategy of « pressure » by Morocco and that it was in line with his « aggressive » speech so that Government turn in its strategy of reconnaissance of Western Sahara. It was precisely in March of this year that the Government relaxed its shielding of the former colony and considered the autonomy of Western Sahara as a « realistic » resolution.

    The Ceuta crisis left Government’s foreign strategy untouched, with the departure of Arancha González Laya and the cooling of the borders with Ceuta and Melilla (already hermetic after the pandemic). Just when relations began a thaw phase, with the announcement of the autonomy plan for the former colony, it was learned that the devices of the PM Pedro Sánchez, the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the former FM, Arancha González Laya had been infected with the Pegasus spy program. The controversy exploded in the air after the accusations of the independentists parties against the Government when finding remains of the same software on their mobiles, but the NGO Amnesty International had already set precedents on Morocco by reporting that in the summer of 2021 it used the program to monitor 50,000 phones.

    Morocco’s interest in Western Sahara is historical and just at the time of Ghali’s arrival, he was immersed in an international strategy to achieve recognition. As the CNI detailed to the Government, Morocco had worked to attract the US President, Joe Biden, to recognize Rabat’s sovereignty over the former colony, as Donald Trump did. This target remained, however, relaxed with Spain for enjoying mutual understanding at that time. However, the good harmony was broken with the arrival of Ghali, and he gave the starting signal to open a stage of pressure to later agree concessions.

    The CNI and Mohamed VI

    The CNI reports conclude that Mohamed VI was fully aware of this strategy, in which he was personally involved precisely because he considered that the arrival of the leader of POLISARIO had also been monitored from the highest Spanish institutions. Who was behind this plan was a close adviser to the king, Fouad Ali el-Himma, with whom the government sat down in April to settle the crisis together with the Moroccan foreign delegation.

    Robles takes refuge in the law

    The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has relied this Monday on the Law that regulates the National Intelligence Center (CNI) not to reveal whether the espionage services warned of movements by Morocco to force a change in Spain’s position regarding the Sahara Western. « Everything that the CNI does is secret and no demonstration can be made about it, » he said in an interview on Telecinco, regarding the information published this Monday by El País about the migratory crisis at the Ceuta de May of last year. In any case, the Minister of Defense has alluded to the « rigor » of all the actions of the CNI and has praised the « serious and rigorous » work of its more than 3,000 members, both inside and outside of Spain, and « always subjected to the legality ».

    Although she did not want to delve into this matter, she did point out that relations between Spain and Morocco « have taken a significant turn » and has maintained the need for Spain to have a good relationship with its neighboring countries, such as Morocco, Algeria, France, or Portugal.

    In addition, she has avoided pointing the finger at Morocco in the case of spying on mobile phones of members of the Government with the ‘Pegasus’ program -including her own- and has explained that in these cases it is very difficult to verify the authorship of the intrusions and they must make « unproven » accusations. « I don’t know who was, » she assured, recalling that there is an open investigation at the National High Court and « prudence » advises not to make statements « lacking any evidence. »

    Voz populi, 06/06/2022

    #Spain #Morocco #Ceuta #CNI #WesternSahara #Algeria

  • The Green March: a set-up between Hassan II and Juan Carlos

    Morocco, Western Sahara, Juan Carlos de Borbón, Green March, Hassan II, declassified CIA documents, Ambassador Wells Stabler, Polisario Front, Algeria,

    Addressing the crowd in his speech of 5 November 1975 ordering the departure of the Green March, the late King Hassan II said: « If you meet a Spaniard, civilian or military, exchange greetings with him and invite him to the tent to share your meal. « We have no enmity towards the Spaniards, nor do we feel any resentment towards them, for if we had wanted to wage war against Spain, we would not have sent unarmed civilians but rather an army (…) « And if it should happen, dear people, that aggressors other than Spaniards should attack your march, know that your valiant army is ready to protect you ».

    Today, documents declassified by the CIA explain the meaning of these words. A report on a meeting between the then Spanish Crown Prince Juan Carlos de Borbón and US Ambassador to Spain Wells Stabler reveals how Morocco and Spain had reached an agreement to ensure that the Green March would proceed without damage. The Spaniards had even indicated the areas that were risky for the marchers because of the mines. This explains the conciliatory discourse with the Spaniards.

    The full text of a report that explodes the myth of the Green March, described by Moroccans as the epic of the century, the fruit of the alleged genius of King Hassan II, when everything was previously arranged by the Americans.

    Spanish Sahara

    Spain and Morocco have reached an understanding designed to reduce the threat of a major clash during the march on unarmed Moroccan volunteers into Spansi Sahara, which King Hassan announced will begin today. Even so, some violence is likely.

    Prince Juan Carlos told Ambassador Stabler that Madrid and Rabat have agreed the marchers will come only a few miles into Spanish Sahara and stay only a short time in the border area, from which Spanish troops have been withdrawn. The Prince added that a token delegation of about 50 Moroccans will be allowed to go on to the territorial capital of El Aaiun.

    The area beyond which the marchers are not supposed to go is delineated by clearly marked minefields, according to another Spanish official. Juan Carlos said Spanish forces will use every means at their disposal to prevent the Moroccans from moving beyond the agreed area.

    King Hassan made no mention of the agreement with Madrid his short speech yesterday announcing that his green march would proceed today. At the same time, he gave no indication of how far into the territory the marchers would proceed, suggesting that he may intend to honor the agreemen.

    Hassan stressed the need for order and discipline during the march and told the Moroccan volunteers to be « hospitable3 to any Spaniards they encounter. Hassan did not threaten to use force if the Spanish put up armed resistance, but he assured the marchers that if « anyone else » fires on them the Moroccan army will defend them. He was obviously referring to Algeria and the Polisario front, a pro-independence group oof Saharans backed by Algeria.

    Once the marchers cross the border; the situation could easily get out of control (…)

    The Polisario Front will almost certainly try to attack the marchers. Somemembers of the group are already in the area which Spanish troops have been withdrawn and may be in the coastal area where the Moroccans are to cross the border.

    #Morocco #Spain #GreenMarch #HassanII #JuanCarlos #WesternSahara #Polisario #Algeria

  • Feijóo dissociates himself from Sánchez’s « clandestine letter »

    Feijóo dissociates himself from Sánchez’s « clandestine letter »

    Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, PP, Pedro Sanchez,

    Feijóo holds surprise meeting with Morocco’s prime minister and dissociates himself from Sánchez’s « clandestine letter » on the Sahara

    The president of the Popular Party (PP) takes advantage of a congress in the Netherlands to transfer to Rabat that, if he governs, he will not assume Sánchez’s commitments without consensus

    The president of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, has arranged a surprise meeting with the PM of Morocco, Aziz Ajanuch, in Rotterdam, as confirmed by himself upon his arrival in the Dutch city. In a highly unusual bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the Congress of the European People’s Party, Feijóo has assured that his intention is for Rabat to know what his position will be if he reaches the Government and is to address the issue of the Sahara within the resolutions of the UN and with the consensus that the PM, Pedro Sánchez, has not sought. Does not assume the Sánchez letter announced by Mohamed VI.

    Feijóo stands out from the letter in this way: « The problem of Western Sahara cannot be solved with a clandestine letter. We must put light on the problem of the Western Sahara, stenographers, transparency, and international agreements. That is exactly the opposite of what he [Sánchez] has done the Government. The only thing that the secrecy to solve an international problem causes more problems, more tensions, more uncertainty and less responsibility towards the Saharawi people, towards Morocco and towards the UN ».

    In exchange for not handing over the Western Sahara like Sánchez, Feijóo assumes a commitment and that is not to hide actions with POLISARIO from Morocco. « The first thing we have is to return again to seriousness in foreign policy. Foreign policy is not an occurrence. Foreign policy is not a necessity due to a breach, such as not notifying Morocco of an action with the leader of POLISARIO that enters Spain illegally, sponsored by the government. A government cannot introduce a citizen illegally into its territory, » he reproached.

    The fact that the leader of the opposition does not assume the commitments that Mohamed VI took for granted after receiving Sánchez’s letter may have future consequences both in relations with Morocco and with Algeria during an energy crisis. This meeting marks the international premiere of the PP leader who has filled his agenda in Rotterdam with other prime ministers from his political force and with the President of the European Commission, Ursula Von der Leyen.

    « Power and counters »

    Feijóo has thus described what his policy with Morocco would be if he is PM: « What I can assure the Moroccan PM, first, that I am not going to deceive him, nor am I going to deceive my country. Second, that everything I am going to try to reach a consensus so that it has a vocation for permanence in the relations between Morocco and Spain, Spain, and Morocco, which are not the relations of a government that is there for a time, but rather the relations of two States. Third, to tell him very clearly that in the field of UN resolutions we can agree on many things ». On the other hand, « outside the UN resolutions, the pacts are not going to produce international effects. »

    « I am convinced that the Moroccan PM will understand me, because the important thing between two countries is that there are no deceptions, that there are no disloyalties and that there are no clandestine letters. We are going to do this clearly and with power and counters. And in the Lower Chamber », assured the head of the opposition.

    PP sources have assured at the end of the meeting that the Moroccan PM has extended an invitation to Feijóo to visit Morocco. « The president Feijóo has accepted and will try to include this visit on his agenda throughout this year, » they say in his surroundings.

    El Mundo, 31 mai 2022

    #Morocco #Spain #WesternSahara #PedroSanchez #Feijoo

  • Appointment of a new Russian ambassador to Algeria shivers in Rabat

    Appointment of a new Russian ambassador to Algeria shivers in Rabat

    Morocco, Algeria, Russia, Valerian Shuvaev, Igor Beliaev, Western Sahara,

    This nomination caused an impressive media fuss both in Morocco and at the level of European media appendages.

    The Russian Federation has just appointed a new ambassador to Algeria, Valerian Shuvaev, a seasoned diplomat. A nomination, far from being an event, but which has toured the world’s chancelleries, and the subject of analysis by numerous editorial staff and international titles. In truth, things take on a whole new meaning if we know that Valerian Shuvaev had been in post in Rabat since 2018. A fine connoisseur of the Maghreb region. And even Moroccan trickery about Western Sahara and the secrets surrounding the agreements of shame with the Israeli entity. Snowball effect, this appointment has caused an impressive media fuss, both in Morocco and at the level of European media appendages. And all the speculations and ramblings are to try to cast shame on this character.

    Commenting on the Kremlin’s decision and giving free rein to its imagination, the Makhzen press described this diplomatic action as a game of musical chairs. Far from hiding the panic and concerns of the Royal Palace, this Moroccan media gesticulation translates, in fact, the latent diplomatic failure of the Makhzen in its hideous quest to colonize a free and independent people. The readings provided by the Makhzen press leave no doubt about the degree of panic in which the kingdom of Mohammed VI is engulfed. Especially since the Russian ambassador, Shuvaev had animated the Moroccan and European media scene since the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine. In a post published on social networks, and addressed to the heads of diplomatic missions posted in Morocco, Valerian Shuvaev had castigated the deceits of each other, in favor of the call for a boycott of a diplomatic rally in Morocco, in case Russian diplomats take part.

    « The task of professional diplomats is to continue the dialogue and to carefully seek solutions, even if the existing contradictions seem insurmountable » he argued in the face of the host country’s passivity, bordering on complicity. Describing this grotesque gesture as « populist actions and light shows » which are part of the « job of politicians and public figures », he will say that « it is very difficult to understand the colleagues who proposed to the Moroccan organizers of the event annual cultural and educational National Rally of the Diplomatic Corps, to cancel it in case the team of the Russian Embassy will participate in it”.

    In fact, it’s not so much the video posted last March that angered Makhzen officials and supporters, but rather the background. And for good reason, the ambassador addressed his subscribers against the backdrop of an original geographical map where Western Sahara is not annexed to Morocco. A detail that caused an outcry from officials and Internet users affiliated with the Makhzen.

    The Algerians and the free Saharawi people can only rejoice at such an appointment, which heralds radical changes and encouraging diplomatic solutions on the horizon. A graduate of the Moscow State Institute of International Relations, Valerian Shuvaev was born in 1955, and has been attached to the diplomatic service since 1977.

    He has held various positions in the central office of the MFA Affairs, including the post of Deputy Director in the MENA department. It is Vladimir Baïbakov who will replace his colleague in Rabat, we learn from the same sources.

    L’Expression, May 29, 2022

    #Morocco #Algeria #Russia #WesternSahara

  • Algeria: « honeymoon » with Italy as it cuts ties with Spain

    Algeria: « honeymoon » with Italy as it cuts ties with Spain

    Algeria, Spain, Morocco, Western Sahara, gas,

    Abdelmajid Tebboune, the Algerian president, recalls from Rome that his country’s relations with his friends, such as Italy, are based on « trust and on the word given and that does not change ». He thus alludes to the turn of the Spanish Government on Western Sahara.

    The Algerian authorities do not reduce their irritation at the alignment of PM Pedro Sánchez with Morocco in the Western Sahara conflict. The Algerian president concluded a three-day state visit to Rome and Naples on Friday, veiledly comparing Italy’s fidelity in her friendship with Algeria to Spain’s alleged disloyalty. Algeria’s relations with his friends are fundamentally based on « trust and on the word given and that does not change, » Tebboune affirmed in the speech he gave last Thursday in Rome. « Any increase in production [of Algerian hydrocarbons] should be oriented, depending on demand, towards Italy, a friendly country, which could become a distributor for Europe, » he announced. Tebboune’s allusions to Spain highlight that Algeria’s anger with the Spanish government endures more than two months after, on March 18, a communique from King Mohamed VI revealed that Spain was renouncing its traditional neutrality in the conflict over Sahara and supports the solution advocated by Morocco to solve it.

    The Moroccan authorities found out about this radical change in Spanish foreign policy through the press, by closing the crisis with Morocco with that great concession, Pedro Sánchez opened another with Algeria. « The head of the [Spanish] government has broken everything with Algeria, » Tebboune lamented on April 23 in a television interview. The clash with the leading economic power in the Maghreb has become chronic and will probably last until the end of the legislature in Spain, according to forecasts by diplomats from both countries. Despite his repeated attempts, the FM, José Manuel Albares, has not been able to establish a dialogue with the Algerian diplomacy, although he asked Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the EU, for help.

    « As long as Sánchez is disavowed by Lower Chamber – and there have been three times already – on the Western Sahara, as long as this move of his policy supposes internal wear and tear for him, from Algiers they are not going to accept normalizing the relationship », affirms a European diplomat accredited in Algeria. Tebboune’s words in Rome contradict, in part, the aspirations expressed two days earlier in Davos by Sánchez. « Spain, the Iberian Peninsula and, I would say, southern Europe, will have the opportunity to provide an answer to this energy dependence on fossil energy from Russia, » he declared there in an interview with CNBC television.

    That response that Sánchez mentions would have two pillars. The six Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) regasification plants that Spain owns and that account for 37% of Europe’s capacity, although to be able to export it, a better interconnection with France would be necessary than that of the two small gas pipelines that exist today. The second pillar would consist of strengthening the energy relationship with the Algerian neighbor, something unimaginable today. This relationship began to decline when, by order of President Tebboune, the GME gas pipeline that crossed Morocco was closed on October 30. Through this tube, the bulk of the Algerian gas reached Spain. Now only the Medgaz works, which, submerged in the Mediterranean, links both countries, but since the beginning of the year the flow has decreased by 12%. It is not clear if with this reduction Sonatrach, the Algerian public hydrocarbon company, is trying to put pressure on its Spanish clients, starting with Naturgy, in the ongoing negotiation on price revision.

    ToufikHakkar, president of Sonatrach, dropped on April 1 that Spain would be the client whose rates would rise the most. Since the beginning of the year, the US has surpassed Algeria as the first supplier of Spain to which it sells LNG that arrives in methane tankers at Spanish ports. So far this year, only 22% of the gas consumed is imported from Algeria, while in 2021 that percentage was around 45%. Not a week has passed since the end of March without the Algerian authorities expressing, through declarations or the adoption of measures, their irritation with their Spanish neighbor. Algerian immigrants, like Moroccans, return en masse to their country for summer vacations and that is why their public airline (Air Algérie) and their shipping company (Algérie Ferries) increase their frequencies.

    The Algerian Ministry of Transport announced on May 20 the plan for the summer that freezes flights (only four weekly between Algiers and Barcelona) and crossings with Spain (only one weekly between Alicante and Oran), which will make it difficult for the back and forth between the two shores of the Mediterranean. The matter was debated last Tuesday in the Foreign Affairs Committee of the National People’s Assembly (Algerian Parliament Lower Chamber). Mohamed Hani, its chair, justified Transport’s decision, although he recognized that it would harm immigrants. « Some decisions are taken by higher authorities and, God willing, we will find alternative solutions for the Algerian community » abroad.

    « Sometimes there are more important things » than serving immigrants, he added. « The choice of [air and sea] destinations is a sovereign decision. » « We haven’t removed the flights, but we haven’t added any, » he concluded. Algeria continues to allow Vueling and Iberia to operate between the two countries, but with very few frequencies. The transport restriction is added to many other reprisals taken since the Algerian ambassador to Spain, Said Moussi, was called for consultation on March 19. Among them, the suspension of the importation of Spanish beef stands out, whose annual exports were around 55 million euros per year – now they buy it from France – and the suspension, since April 2, of the repatriations of irregular immigrants arriving in Spain by sea.

    The tension with Spain contrasts with the « honeymoon » that Algeria is experiencing with Italy. The authorities and the Algerian press value it, thus giving the Spanish government to understand that its commitment to Morocco has made it lose many opportunities. Tebboune concluded his trip to Rome on Friday, but this was preceded by visits to Algiers by PM Mario Draghi and FM Luigi di Maio.

    This sensational strengthening of the ties between Algeria and Italy has caused concern in the Spanish government, as revealed in mid-April by the economic press agency Bloomberg. Italian and Spanish diplomats held talks after « concern grew in Madrid that their access to [Algerian] hydrocarbons could be affected, » he said. « They were merely informative contacts in which it was clear that the Italian-Algerian relationship will not harm Spain, » said a high-level Italian source.

    When the agreements recently signed in Rome and Algiers are implemented, Draghi will be on the verge of achieving his goal: to make Algeria Italy’s number one energy supplier, ahead of Russia. Already last month, Sonatrach and ENI, its Italian equivalent, agreed to increase gas exports to Italy by some 9,000 million cubic meters per year through the Transmed gas pipeline that ends in Sicily. It could thus pump 30,000 million annually.

    During the visit to Rome they also signed a memorandum of understanding for the development of green gas and hydrogen fields in Algeria. Tebboune himself announced, finally, that the project of an electrical submarine cable between the two countries that would pass through Sardinia is being reactivated.

    El Confidencial, May 28, 2022

    #Algeria #Spain #Morocco #WesternSahara #Gas

  • Did Morocco hack into Mohammed Barkindo’s smartphone?

    Did Morocco hack into Mohammed Barkindo’s smartphone?

    Morocco, Nigeria, Nigeria-Europe gas pipeline, Algeria, OPEC, Mohammed Barkindo, Spain, Pedro Sanchez, Western Sahara,

    Spain, Nigeria’s about-face,…: When the Makhzen excels in blackmail

    Supported by lobbies and Zionist media relays specialized in propaganda, the Makhzen exercises a horrible blackmail on the leaders of some countries and does not shy away from any process, even if it is petty and criminal, to achieve its goals and objectives. It is an undeniable fact that the Moroccan regime tries by all means to demonize Algeria, discredit its image and defeat everything that is favorable to it, economically and politically by presenting it as an unreliable country, allied with Russia, which is blackmailing (sic) Spain and other European countries even though everyone knows that in this game, few nations can compete with Morocco. And it is certainly not the Pegasus scandal that will tell us otherwise.

    The examples are, on this subject, legion. The latest is none other than the about-face of Nigeria in the case of the gas pipeline intended to supply the European continent with gas. While there was no question that the pipeline passes through Morocco, here is that to the surprise of all, the Nigerians suddenly change course, between February and late April, in a very suspicious and dubious way especially, opting for a route of scheme that crosses our western neighbor. The most informed observers see in this reversal an umpteenth twisted coup of the Makhzen but always with the same modus operandi and the same techniques, namely blackmail and diktat. Otherwise how to explain this exit of the Nigerians especially since Algiers and Abuja have everything tied up in this case.

    Specialists do not rule out the use of Morocco to hack the smartphones of some Nigerian officials and especially the SG of OPEC, Mohammed Barkindo, who would have weighed all his influence to bend the position of his country to the benefit of the Cherifian Kingdom, which will, moreover, receive financial support from OPEC, well, well, in order to implement the gas pipeline project on the ground.

    In any case, such actions by the Makhzen are far from being a precedent. Let’s remember the sad Spanish episode in the Western Sahara issue and the change of position of the Iberian government. It is clear that this turnaround of the Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, poorly hides the hand of the Moroccan regime that has threatened Spain via the issue of illegal immigration. Worse. It is whispered that the Makhzen holds compromising things on the Spanish PM for the latter to initiate a 360 ° turn, which has prompted the Spanish judiciary to take an interest in the subject and open an investigation while the government of Sanchez is trying to gain time not to embarrass its relations with Morocco and, above all, avoid the display in the public square of other scandals that would affect members of the government.

    File d’Algérie, May 19, 2022

    Read also : L’Humanité accused Morocco of using “Pegasus” to monitor individuals and governments

    Read also : Morocco and the Pegasus scandal: Mohammed VI knew

    Read also : Over 200 Spanish mobile numbers ‘possible targets of Pegasus spyware’

    Read also : On the list: Ten prime ministers, three presidents and a king

    #Morocco #Nigeria #Algeria #Gazoduc_nigeria_europe #Transaharan_pipeline #Pegasus #Espionage

  • Western Sahara : Large truck crashes into Khaya home

    Large truck crashes into Khaya home – Morocco, Sultana Khaya, Just Visit Western Sahara,

    WASHINGTON, D.C./Boujdour, Western Sahara, May 15/16, 2022 — At midnight a truck repeatedly crashed into the home of Khaya Sisters. It smashed the house and garage doors 3 times. Local people stopped the truck from smashing into the front door and halted the attack.

    Witnesses shared that the truck first attempted to hit the east side of the house but the street was too narrow so it went to the other side. The truck appeared to be empty.

    The first Moroccan “police” car on the scene drove by, appearing to ignore the attack. Within minutes, approximately 30 Moroccan agents appeared, some who had previously participated in home invasions and assaults on the Khaya family, including rape.

    No investigation took place. No one questioned any witnesses. The driver of the truck is unknown. “Police” escorted the truck away.

    Sultana Khaya said, “The whole house shook. For a huge truck to crash three times into the door of my home is an obvious attempt to harm my family and my American guests.”

    Dr. Stephen Zunes, professor at University of San Francisco and expert on Western Sahara said, “This seems like a bizarre and despicable attempt to harm or injure the Khaya sisters and their guests.”

    The Khaya Sisters are human rights defenders in Western Sahara who advocate against violence towards women and for self-determination of the Saharawi people. They have been the subject of a siege for more than 500 days and in March were visited by American tourists who have been staying in the home.

    The Americans are part of a US coalition called Just Visit Western Sahara. It is a network of groups and individuals committed to peace and justice for the Saharawi people, protection of their human rights, respect for international law, and encouraging Americans and international travelers to witness the beauty and appeal of Western Sahara and to see the reality of the Moroccan occupation for themselves.

    Just Visit Western Sahara, mai 16, 2022

    Read also : Conflict escalates in Western Sahara

    Read also : After Trump’s Colonial Carve-Up, Western Sahara Has Risen Up

    Read also : Western Sahara : Algeria bets on a more prominent role for Russia

    #Morocco #WesternSahara #SultanaKhata #JustVisitWesternSahara

  • Morocco: Western Sahara at the heart of the mission of the new ambassador to the EU

    Morocco: Western Sahara at the heart of the mission of the new ambassador to the EU

    After having been ambassador in countries considered hostile to Morocco, Youssef Amrani is now posted in Brussels, where he must defend the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara, his specialty since the 1990s.

    Since the recognition by the US of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, in exchange for the normalization of its relations with Israel, the kingdom has been leading an all-out diplomatic offensive to encourage other powers to take the plunge. Particularly its main European partners. Appointed Moroccan Ambassador to the EU in October, Youssef Amrani is one of the faces that embody this strategy. With more than 30 years spent in various positions within the MFA, this diplomat is considered a specialist in one of the most sensitive issues in North Africa: that of Western Sahara. The question of Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony considered a « non-autonomous territory » by the UN, has for decades pitted Morocco against POLISARIO Front, supported by Algiers, which broke diplomatic relations with Algeria in August 2021. Rabat. On Sunday January 30, a senior Algerian official accused Morocco of “murdering” civilians “outside internationally recognized borders” and using “sophisticated weapons”, referring to the use of drones. Recruited in 1978 as Secretary of Foreign Affairs, the diplomat has climbed from all levels of Moroccan diplomacy: consul, ambassador, secretary general of the MFA, minister delegate to the same department, project manager in the royal cabinet… with the common thread is the Western Sahara file. An “unusual” profile insofar as his predecessors had very different backgrounds. This is the case, for example, of Ahmed Rahhou who, before presiding over the destinies of this strategic embassy between 2019 and 2021, had been appointed head of a bank and could not claim any experience in diplomacy. But the choice of Youssef Amrani would be dictated in particular « by the tensions with certain European countries around the question of the Sahara and by the need to defend the interests linked to it in Brussels », confides to Middle East Eye a fine connoisseur of Moroccan diplomacy.

    “He has already maneuvered in more hostile terrain”

    Former general manager of Microsoft in North and West Africa and former Minister of Industry, Ahmed Reda Chami, the predecessor of Ahmed Rahhou, had never gravitated in the diplomatic universe either before taking the reins. of this embassy in 2016. Amrani’s choice is also dictated by the context. In a diplomatic dispute with Spain, because of the hospitalization in April 2021 of Brahim Ghali, the leader of POLISARIO, in a hospital in Logroño after complications linked to his contamination with COVID-19, Morocco had recalled its ambassador to Madrid and cut all diplomatic ties with its largest trading partner in Europe. Since then, the kingdom has been maneuvering so that its European neighbor adopts a more frank position in favor of the autonomy plan it is proposing for the settlement of the conflict. Morocco had also suspended, in March 2021, all its diplomatic relations with Germany, accusing it of « antagonic activism » the day after the recognition by the US of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. Berlin then requested a closed session of the UNSC devoted to the decision taken by Donald Trump. “Our diplomacy now requires frankness from its partners. Amrani’s mission, which perfectly masters this file, is to help obtain recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara from European countries. Knowing that he has already maneuvered in more hostile terrain”, decrypts our source. The diplomat had indeed been ambassador to Colombia, Ecuador, and Panama with residence in Bogota from 1996 to 1999, then to Chile until 2001, before being appointed to Mexico, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Costa Rica, Nicaragua and Belize, territories which were – and still are for some – hostile to the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco. Before his appointment as ambassador to the EU, Amrani was also posted in South Africa, a country with which Morocco had completely cut off its diplomatic relations in 2004 following its recognition of SADR. “His posting to Pretoria in 2018 took place a few months before South Africa joined the UNSC for two years. His role was then to rally South African personalities and institutions to the autonomy plan. It was difficult given Pretoria’s position, but he managed to defend the Moroccan position through publications and interventions in the South African media, » a former diplomat told MEE.

    No trade partnership without Western Sahara

    A former member of the Istiqlal, a nationalist party whose Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara has been a pivot since the country’s independence, the ambassador now has the mission of applying a new doctrine: no commercial partnerships that do not would not include the territory of Western Sahara. This is essentially the watchword given by King Mohammed VI on November 6 on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the Green March, a great march towards the Western Sahara, then under Spanish occupation, launched by King Hassan II in the aim of recovering it: “We would like to express our consideration to the countries and groups which are linked to Morocco by conventions and partnerships and for which our southern provinces constitute an integral part of the national territory. On the other hand, to those who display vague or ambivalent positions, we declare that Morocco will not engage with them in any economic or commercial approach that would exclude the Moroccan Sahara”. A thinly veiled warning against Bruxelles, whose ECJ had just canceled two trade agreements relating to agricultural products and fisheries from Western Sahara between Morocco and the 27. The cancellation, pronounced on September 29, followed an appeal lodged by POLISARIO. A snub that Rabat did not digest, although the EU appealed the decision on November 19 to maintain the agreements. “There is a clear change of course. While Ahmed Rahhou had missions of an essentially economic nature, such as removing Morocco from the gray list of tax havens, or even migration and climate change, Youssef Amrani has the mission of strengthening Morocco’s relations with the ‘Europe without yielding anything on the Sahara file’, summarizes the former diplomat.


    Middle East Eye, 21/02/2022

    #WesternSahara #YoussehAmrani #Morocco #EU

  • Secretary Clinton Visit to Morocco (*)

    Secretary Clinton Visit to Morocco (*)

    Secretary Clinton Visit to Morocco (*) – USA, Strategic Dialogue, Hillary Clinton, Lobbying, Edward Gabriel, Robert M. Holley, Western Sahara, Polisario Frente,

    Background
    Hillary Clinton’s scheduled February 26 visit to Morocco will very likely be her last trip to Morocco as US Secretary of State. She has made clear that she will not remain in her current position should President Obama win re-election in November. Consequently, her visit later this month will likely represent our best opportunity to secure a commitment from her to make significant progress on several important objectives that we have hoped to achieve during her tenure at the State Department. The visit will offer a good opportunity to consolidate progress made during Foreign Minister Fassi Fihri’s meeting with Secretary Clinton in Washington in March of last year, as well as a new opportunity to take an important step forward in consolidating US support for Morocco’s initiative to resolve the issue in Western Sahara.

    Objectives for the Visit
    Secure a public statement of support from the Secretary for Morocco’s reforms and the importance that the US attaches to working with Morocco as a partner in promoting progress in the Middle East and North Africa. In this regard, seek assurance of the Secretary to formally inaugurate the Strategic Dialogue announced one year ago.

    Gain Clinton’s support for committing US development resources to improving the lives of those living in the Southern Provinces as authorized in the December 2011 Omnibus Appropriations Bill that gives the Obama Administration a green light to use US funds in the Sahara provinces.
    Receive a commitment from the Secretary that the Department will respond to the Leahy language in a strong positively worded answer, in order to put this issue to rest, once and for all.

    Encourage the Secretary to reiterate US support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative as “serious, credible and realistic” and to state publicly that events in the region make a resolution of the Western Sahara issue through a political compromise a necessity in order to promote regional cooperation and integration, as well as combat the growing influence and activities of regional terrorist and criminal elements that seek to profit from the uncertainties of Arab Spring developments in the region.

    Suggested Points on Western Sahara
    Describe steps Morocco has taken in an effort to improve relations with Algeria and foster a better climate for regional cooperation and resolution of the Sahara. Explain Moroccan perception of the results of these efforts.
    Give Secretary Clinton a full understanding of Morocco’s commitment to resolving this issue as quickly as possible and explain the dangers of continued stalemate, especially as AQIM and other criminal groups seek to destabilize the region.

    Express Morocco’s appreciation for Congress’ authorization for the Obama Administration to use US development assistance funds to help improve the lives of those living in the Southern Provinces. Explain how such actions could help create a better climate for resolving the larger problem in the Sahara. Express willingness to work closely with the State Department and US development agencies to identify programs that could be implemented and suggest that a working level meeting in the near future should be arranged to address this opportunity to enhance US/Morocco efforts on this issue. This will be the one and only signal during her tenure that moves the WS issue incrementally forward. She should see it accomplished before she leaves office. This is one of the two most impactful items Clinton can do with Morocco before leaving office.

    The other issue that would leave an indelible Clinton signature is the US-Moroccan Strategic Dialogue. She should make sure that this Dialogue is established as an on-going process, and that the first meeting is held prior to her leaving office.

    Encourage Secretary Clinton to make a strong public statement of support for the need to resolve the Sahara problem and reiterate the need for compromise as she again expresses the US view of Morocco’s initiative as “serious, credible and realistic.” Anything less will be perceived as the State Department “walking back” previous commitments.
    In this regard reiterate Morocco’s commitment that the refugees in the Algerian camps are welcome to come home and will be assisted in building a new life for themselves and their families.

    Explain the consequences of the Leahy language to the bilateral relations and the perception by the Moroccan population. Specifically explain the importance of an unequivocal and strong positive response from the State Department in this regard in order to lay this issue to rest, once and for all.

    (*) Document elaborated by the former ambassador to Morocco, Edward Gabriel (just appointed by Joe Biden as a member of the U.S. Institute of Peace, pending Senate confirmation) and Robert M. Holley, member of the Moroccan lobby group in Washington.

    #Morocco #WesternSahara #FrentePolisatio #HillaryClinton #Lobbying #EdwardGabriel #RobertHolley #StrategicDialogue

  • Tebboune greatly regrets Angela Merkel’s departure

    Tags : Algeria, Germany, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, Angela Merkel, Western Sahara, Morocco – Tebboune greatly regrets Angela Merkel’s departure

    Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune recently closed his country’s airspace to France out of anger at a comment from Emmanuel Macron. DER SPIEGEL spoke with Tebboune about the diplomatic fracas, his country’s path to modernization and why journalists are still being locked up in Algeria.

    The road leading to the presidential palace in Algiers winds its way up to a barrier manned by heavily armed military guards. Behind them are the expansive palace grounds, with whitewashed buildings, verdant courtyards and burbling fountains.

    Since December 2019, the palace has been occupied by Abdelmadjid Tebboune. The 75-year-old became president after two decades of rule by Abdelaziz Bouteflika, that sickly, aging autocrat who, toward the end of his reign, ran the country from a seaside villa, supported by the all-powerful military. But by spring 2019, Algerians had had enough of the corrupt, incompetent Bouteflika and poured into the streets by the hundreds of thousands, triggered by the president’s announcement that he intended to run for a fifth term in office. The protest movement, which came to be known as Hirak, forced him to step aside that same year. In December elections, Tebboune received the most votes.

    At just 40 percent, though, voter turnout was historically low. Many who had joined the protest movement boycotted the election. They had been hoping for a longer interval between Bouteflika’s resignation and new elections, which would have given Hirak more time to organize. But the army pushed through the vote, for which just five out of 23 candidates were certified – all of whom were products of the country’s entrenched power structures.

    Algeria is a key country for Europe from both a strategic and political perspective. Migrant routes run through the country, used by people from sub-Saharan Africa and others eager to reach Europe. And Algeria also supplies natural gas to Spain and other European countries. The largest country in Africa by area, Algeria shares a border with northern Mali, a restful region controlled by various groups, some of them Islamist, where French and German troops have been the target of repeat attacks. The country’s other neighbors include Libya, Tunisia and Morocco. As such, the government in Algiers plays a vital role of mediator and as guarantor of security – when it actually decides to take on the task.

    Tebboune is currently attempting to reposition his country on foreign policy, seeking to establish closer ties to new partners like the United States, Italy and Germany, in part as a way of distancing his country from the former colonial power of France. In October, he broke off diplomatic relations with Paris and is allegedly is no longer taking calls from the office of French President Emmanuel Macron, with whom he used to maintain close contact. Withstanding such crises, say those close to Tebboune, is part of Algeria’s newfound sovereignty.

    DER SPIEGEL: Mr. President, in a conversation with young Algerians in late September, the French president raised the question as to whether Algeria had even been a nation prior to its colonization by France. You immediately broke off diplomatic relations in response. Is a single sentence enough to justify such a reaction?

    Tebboune: You can’t question a people’s history and you can’t insult the Algerians. What was revealed there was the old hatred harbored by the colonial masters, though I know that Macron is far away from thinking in that manner. Why did he say that? I think it was for reasons of campaign strategy. It is the same discourse that has long been pursued by right-wing extremist journalist Éric Zemmour: Algeria wasn’t a nation, he claims, it was France that transformed it into a nation. With his comment, Macron placed himself on the same side with those who justify colonization.

    DER SPIEGEL: But until that point, you got along well with Macron. You were involved in joint projects, including taking a new look at your nations’ histories. Do you regret the current crisis?

    Tebboune: I have no regrets. Macron reignited an old conflict completely unnecessarily. When Zemmour says something like that, who cares? Nobody pays attention to him. But when a head of state claims that Algeria wasn’t an independent nation, that is very serious. I won’t be the one to take the first step. Otherwise, I’ll lose the support of all Algerians. It’s not about me, it’s about a national problem. No Algerian would accept it were I to initiate contact with those who insulted us.

    DER SPIEGEL: Last year, the French president commissioned a report from a historian who has been asked to make recommendations for how Paris should deal with its colonial history. What did you expect from him, from France? An apology?

    Tebboune: Our country doesn’t need an apology from Macron for something that happened in 1830 or 1840. But we do want a complete and unreserved recognition of the crimes that France committed. And Macron has already done so. In 2017, he declared publicly that colonization had been a crime against humanity. You know, the Germans destroyed an entire village in Oradour-sur-Glane in 1944. That massacre is commemorated to this day, and rightly so. But in Algeria, there were dozens of Oradour-sur-Glanes. The residents of innumerable villages were herded into caves, wood was thrown inside and then set on fire. The people suffocated horrifically.

    DER SPIEGEL: So there is no indication that the crisis with France will end any time soon?

    Tebboune: No. If the French now want to travel to Mali or Niger, they’ll have to fly for nine hours instead of four. Though we will make exceptions for the recovery of the injured. But when it comes to everything else, we don’t really have to cooperate with each other anymore. Maybe that’s just over. We weren’t subhumans, we weren’t a people of nomadic tribes before the French showed up.

    « I greatly admire Angela Merkel’s stamina and her modesty. I greatly regret that she is now going. »

    DER SPIEGEL: In your interactions with a different European country, with Germany, your tone has been far more conciliatory. Why? What binds Algeria with Germany?

    Tebboune: The Germans have always treated us with respect. They have never approached us with arrogance and there have never been any disagreements on foreign policy. Plus, I greatly admire Angela Merkel’s stamina and her modesty. I greatly regret that she is now going. I will never forget how she personally looked after me when I was in Germany for medical treatment. Germany is a role model for us in many different ways.

    DER SPIEGEL: You are also interested in expanding economic ties with Germany. What are your expectations from the new government in Berlin, once it takes office?

    Tebboune: To be honest, all that is possible. I would, for example, like to see us build a large hospital in Algiers together. A place that can handle all specialized areas of medical care, for the entire Maghreb. An African president could then finally receive treatment on his own continent instead having to travel to Switzerland. We would be prepared to finance the bulk of this project. There is also a great deal of potential on renewable energies. With German help, we could supply Europe with solar power.

    DER SPIEGEL: Two years ago, you promised to put an end to the old way of doing things and initiate a new era in Algeria. How much of that has since come true?

    Tebboune: I eliminated taxes for all salaries below 30,000 dinars, around 190 euros, per month. I have increased the minimum wage. Rural regions that have thus far been largely forgotten are receiving special assistance. But one of the most important tasks is that of injecting new morals into the administration and the economy. We have been battling corruption for the last two years.

    Tebboune spent enough time as part of the power apparatus in Algiers to know how few scruples Bouteflika had. Over the course of several years, the old head of state transferred billions of dollars out of the country. The new government is still searching the world for the stolen money with the help of consulting firms – in the U.S., in Switzerland and in other European countries. The new government apparently also seized large sums of money in Algeria itself – at least that is what those close to the president claim. Tebboune has also announced numerous economic reforms. But how many of those plans will he actually be able to implement? Is the Ministry of Startups, which he launched, just a bluff or is it really an effort to change things in the country? And what does it mean when the head of the military is on television just as often as the president?

    DER SPIEGEL: Before you took office, the military locked up high-ranking members of the old power apparatus, including Bouteflika’s brother Saïd, who was later sentenced. Were additional arrests made on your watch?

    Tebboune: Of course. I am currently battling corruption primarily in the lower ranks. What took place at the governmental level was an unforgiveable squandering of this country’s riches. It is the citizens who must pay for day-to-day corruption. But that is now over. Never again should someone have to produce a banknote in a city hall to get a new passport.

    DER SPIEGEL: Is it really possible to just change a system and habits that have become ingrained over the course of several decades?

    Tebboune: It starts with the fundamental things. We had to completely rebuild the state. We used to have what I would call an informal state. I brought a lot of people from the private economy into government. The government spokesman used to be a television moderator; the man who now leads the Ministry for Startups was part of the 2019 protest movement. We are currently completely revamping the audit office. We are going after tax dodgers. And we have agreed on a new constitution that will grant the citizens more rights.

    DER SPIEGEL: And yet, people in Algeria are more frightened of state repression than ever before and are afraid of expressing their opinions. Journalists are being arrested in your country. Are you not just the civilian façade of a continuation of the military regime?

    Tebboune: The Algerian people know that isn’t true. I was the one who nominated the chief of the army. In addition to being president, I am also the defense minister. The country’s secret services are under my control and no longer belong to the military. That is the new reality in Algeria, underpinned by the constitution: self-confident action instead of dependencies.

    DER SPIEGEL: What is the current balance of power between the army and the president?

    Tebboune: I’ll tell you. The chief of the army, who is under my command, received an order from me to modernize the military. Beyond that, he has enough to do with the sensitive situation on our borders. I am the political leader. Nobody will carry out that responsibility in my stead. I was the one who ordered the closure of Algerian airspace for French military flights. I was also the one who did the same for Moroccan aircraft. But it is impossible to get rid of the image the world has of Algeria as a military state.

    DER SPIEGEL: There is a passage in the new constitution that allows for Algeria to send soldiers abroad. Are you planning on sending your own troops into Mali?

    Tebboune: We can now be asked for help. The UN can turn to us, or the African Union. If the Malians were to find themselves facing an imminent attack, we would intervene if requested to do so. But our soldiers are Algerians who have families. I will not send them to their deaths to defend the interests of others. Enough Algerians have died in the past. The big question in Mali is how the country can be reunited. Algeria, in any case, will never accept the partitioning of Mali.

    DER SPIEGEL: France isn’t the only country you are having trouble with. You have also closed Algerian airspace to your neighbor Morocco. Why?

    Tebboune: The Moroccans want to divide Algeria. Their UN representative expressed support for the independence movement in a part of our country, Kabylia. Nobody, not even the king, redressed his comments. Ultimately, we cut off relations.

    DER SPIEGEL: But you are supporting the Polisario Front, which is seeking independence for Western Sahara. Morocco claims that territory as its own. Why are you doing so?

    Tebboune: We are in favor of allowing the Sahrawi to decide on their own fate. Only Morocco isn’t playing along. You know, there is something that bothers me about the public perception of the two countries. In Morocco, the king is wealthy, but the illiteracy rate is still 45 percent. Here, it is just 9 percent. Europe erroneously imagines Morocco like a beautiful postcard, but we are seen as a kind of North Korea. Yet we are an extremely open country.

    And yet many young Algerians, even entire families, are leaving the country and crossing the Mediterranean to Europe. Speedboats depart from Oran in the western part of the country, and it is thought that they are under the control of mafia-like organizations. The government tries to avoid the issue of illegal migration wherever it can. There are no official numbers regarding the migrants, and it is dangerous for Algerian journalists to publish migration statistics collected by Spain. Some of them, says one journalist who asked that his name not be published, have even been arrested due to posts on Facebook. A climate of fear, the journalist says, has once again spread across the country.

    DER SPIEGEL: Isn’t the fact that so many Algerians are leaving the country a condemnation of your leadership?

    Tebboune: It isn’t the economic situation that is driving our youth to Europe. It is the dream of a life in Europe. Nobody must suffer from hunger in Algeria. Among those who have left are many doctors and lawyers. But please let’s not forget: There are also a large number of Algerians who obtain visas to travel to Paris and Marseille, and then return home after two weeks.

    « Freedom of the press does not cover the production of Fake News nor does it allow for the vilification of one’s country. »

    DER SPIEGEL: But many no longer believe that you are really bringing democracy to the country. You have had journalists arrested. Is that the new Algeria that you once promised?

    Tebboune: There are journalists in prison in France and also in the U.S. Why shouldn’t there be any in Algeria? We have 180 daily papers here and there are 8,500 people working as journalists in the country. But when two or three of them are rightly convicted, people say: oh, they’re locking up their journalists. Freedom of the press does not cover the production of Fake News nor does it allow for the vilification of one’s country. In cases where these red lines are crossed, the judiciary must act.

    DER SPIEGEL: You would, then, tell all your doubters that you are serious about transforming Algeria?

    Tebboune: The Hirak, the uprising, is over. I am now the Hirak. The uprising was a national movement, not some collection of splinter groups. I have declared Feb. 22, the date on which the protests began in 2019, as a national holiday because this movement put a stop to the deterioration of our country. Perhaps you remember the images showing a resilient people with a well-developed sense for freedom – similar to Cuba, Vietnam and other revolutionary countries.

    DER SPIEGEL: Mr. President, we thank you for this interview.

    Der Spiegel, 09/11/2021

    #Algeria #Germany #Morocco #Western_Sahara #France #Macron