By The Editors | 02 Mar 2012
Moroccan Foreign Minister Saad-Eddine El Othmani traveled to Algeria in January for talks with Algerian Foreign Minister Mourad Medelci and President Abdelaziz Bouteflika. In an email interview, Ahmed Aghrout, a specialist in the international relations of the Maghreb at the University of Salford, Manchester, discussed Morocco-Algeria relations.
WPR: What is behind past tensions between Algeria and Morocco, and how have they impacted regional issues such as terrorism and Western Sahara?
Ahmed Aghrout: The relationship between the two neighbors has, in the main, been marked by mutual distrust and, at times, by antagonism. The beginning of the tensions can be traced back to the October 1963 war — usually referred to as the Sand War — over a border territory that Morocco claimed as its own. Algeria’s opposition to the 1975 annexation of the former Spanish Sahara by Morocco and its unwavering support for the right of self-determination of the Sahrawi people also developed into a major issue of contention between the two sides. Moroccan accusations that Algeria’s security services were involved in a 1994 terrorist bombing in Marrakech only drove them further apart, as Algeria unilaterally closed its 900-mile border with Morocco. The two countries’ struggle for regional leadership, mutual accusations and differences over the status of Western Sahara have combined to impact negatively on the development of regional integration — with the Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) being a prime example. In the same vein, bilateral collaboration on security matters, especially the fight against terrorism, has been hindered by each country’s respective agenda.
WPR: What is behind the Moroccan foreign minister’s visit, and does it represent a shift?
Aghrout: The visit of the Moroccan foreign minister, Saad-Eddine El Othmani, to Algeria early this year should be viewed as part of a diplomatic attempt to normalize bilateral relations. The event is of significant importance not only to Morocco’s current government, its first led by Islamists, but also, more crucially, to the whole rapprochement process that was set in motion last year. Contacts and exchanges of visits by officials from both countries took place during 2011. Still, this high-profile visit was a major step toward thawing diplomatic relations. It should also be noted that the rapid changes across the region — following the Arab revolts in particular — may have had an effect on this reconciliation attempt. It is, nonetheless, too soon to expect smooth ties, on account of the long-standing issues between the two countries.
WPR: What kinds of concessions and steps will be required on both sides to make real progress, and how likely is that to happen?
Aghrout: The gradual rapprochement currently underway may well inaugurate a new phase in the bilateral relationship. Indeed, some headway is being made, particularly in the economic sphere — on agriculture and energy, among other sectors. Yet any progress toward normalization between the states would require strong political will and pragmatism on both sides. The two need a strong desire to transcend their differences, notably over Western Sahara, which must be left to the United Nations to settle in line with its appropriate resolutions. In doing so, Morocco and Algeria would be able to pave the way to a more pragmatic approach, one that is fundamentally dictated by the potential for cooperation, both at the bilateral and regional levels. The current attempt to rejuvenate the moribund AMU is another propitious opportunity, which both countries can capitalize on to improve their strained relationship.
