Asharq al awsat
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI called for “direct and frank” dialogue with Algeria “in order to settle the transient and objective differences impeding the development of relations between the two countries.”
In a speech delivered to mark the 43rd anniversary of the Green March, commemorating the mass demonstration of Moroccans calling for Spain to cede control of Western Sahara, the King suggested the establishment of a joint political and mutually agreed upon mechanism for dialogue and consultation with a mission to frankly and subjectively analyze key issues, using an open-ended agenda, without conditions or exceptions.
He said such a mechanism would enhance joint consultation and coordination particularly on regional and international challenges, including migration and the fight against terrorism.
“I should like to stress that Morocco is willing to consider the proposals or initiatives Algeria may want to offer in this regard so as to break the stalemate in the relations between the two neighbors and sister nations,” King Mohammed VI said.
Relations between Morocco and Algeria have been strained for many years, particularly since 1972 over the status of the Western Sahara region.
“If Algeria’s response to the King’s call is positive, then relations between the two countries would change, moving from a level of the clash to a level of cooperation,” Professor of International Relations at the Mohammed V University in Rabat, Taj al-Din al-Husseini, told Asharq Al-Awsat on Wednesday.
However, he said, if Algeria negatively responds to Morocco’s initiative, then it would miss a historic chance, particularly for the people of this region, which is seeing an annual decline in growth due to the dire relations between the two states.
For his part, political analyst Abdul Rahim Manar Al Salimi told Asharq Al-Awsat that Morocco initiated this call for dialogue because it has detected the presence of issues and challenges in the region.
“Algeria should be held responsible of all developments that would follow this initiative, whether in front of the international community and in front of people of the Maghreb region,” he noted.
