Rabat – Moroccan Head of Government Abdelilah Benkirane said on Sunday that the common interests and bonds of brotherhood between the peoples of Morocco and Algeria “will contribute to the restoration of relations with this neighboring country.”
“The common interests and fraternity between the two peoples, and the logic of history and geography (…) are all factors that will overcome the existing concerns hindering the restoration of relations” between Morocco and Algeria, the Premier said in an interview with the news channel Al Arabiya.
Moroccan diplomacy “tries to be more open” about Algeria, said Benkirane who mentioned the recent visit of Moroccan Foreign Minister, Saad Dine El Otmani, to this Maghreb country.
“The historic Moroccan-Algerian brotherhood has been negatively affected by the Sahara conflict,” he said, believing that a new logic is “taking root” of leaving the Moroccan Sahara issue before the United Nations and work together to improve bilateral relations in accordance with the will of both peoples.
Benkirane noted that Morocco “has shown good faith by calling for opening borders” with Algeria, but the signals from the eastern neighbor in this respect are not “enough.” For him, such a move would be mutually beneficial and a strong stimulant for closer cooperation in the fight against problems like drug trafficking and terrorism.
Regarding the last round of informal talks on the Sahara in Manhasset, the Prime Minister regretted that nothing concrete has been achieved in spite of changes at the international and regional levels. The Sahara dispute has lasted too long, although the circumstances behind this conflict go back to the last century, he noted.
He also highlighted Morocco’s efforts to contribute to resolving the year-old conflict in Syria, saying that the Kingdom is committed to constructively resolving the crisis in this country to ensure the end of violence and bloodshed. In this regard, he suggested that a possible break in diplomatic relations between Damascus and Rabat “would perhaps not have much effect, while maintaining them could be beneficial.”
On government action, the Premier stressed that “things are moving in the right direction” especially in predicting the adoption of the 2012 appropriation bill draft and the implementation of new
.
