Othmani Rules Out US Reversal in Western Sahara Decision

AFP file photo of Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani
AFP file photo of Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani
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Othmani Rules Out US Reversal in Western Sahara Decision

AFP file photo of Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani
AFP file photo of Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani

Moroccan Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani has ruled a possible move by US President-elect Joe Biden to reverse President Donald Trump’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

Speaking at the House of Representatives (lower house) on Monday, Othmani pointed out that Trump’s decision was a culmination of years of Moroccan diplomatic efforts.

He explained that the decision was mentioned in the explanatory report of the State Department’s budget and associated programs for the years 2018 and 2019 and issued by the Congress.

The US presidential announcement is “very difficult to reverse through a Congressional law.”

Othmani considered the US decision a “historical development” rather than just a “formal, ceremonial presidential proclamation.”

It was followed by several decisions, including opening a consulate in the Western Sahara territory, in Dakhla, to promote economic and business opportunities for the region, as well as encouraging American investments in the Sahara region.

US Ambassador to the United Nations Kelly Craft sent a copy of Trump’s proclamation recognizing “that the entire Western Sahara territory is part of the Kingdom of Morocco” to UN chief Antonio Guterres and the Security Council earlier in December.

Also, the US adopted a “new official” map of Morocco that includes Western Sahara.

Othmani affirmed that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has announced opening a virtual consulate in Western Sahara, with a focus on promoting economic and social development, to be followed soon by a fully functioning consulate.

He stressed that these steps reflect the seriousness of the US proclamation and its actual implementation.

The PM noted that the kingdom will increase diplomatic efforts so that other countries join the US decision.



France Expels 12 Algerian Officials in Tit-for-Tat Move amid Diplomatic Tensions

Algerian flags fly at half-staff along the seaside walk in Algiers, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP)
Algerian flags fly at half-staff along the seaside walk in Algiers, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP)
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France Expels 12 Algerian Officials in Tit-for-Tat Move amid Diplomatic Tensions

Algerian flags fly at half-staff along the seaside walk in Algiers, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP)
Algerian flags fly at half-staff along the seaside walk in Algiers, Saturday, Sept. 18, 2021. (AP)

France said Tuesday it was expelling 12 Algerian diplomatic officials a day after Algeria announced the expulsion of the same number of French officials in escalating tensions between the two countries.

Algeria said Monday that its expulsion of 12 French officials was over the arrest of an Algerian consular official by French authorities in a kidnapping case, but relations between the two sides have been deteriorating since last summer. That's when France shifted its position to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for Western Sahara — a disputed territory claimed by the pro-independence Polisario Front, which receives support from Algeria.

Tensions further peaked in November after Algeria arrested French-Algerian writer Boualem Sansal, who is an outspoken critic of the Algerian regime. He has since been sentenced to five years in prison — a verdict he subsequently appealed.

In addition to what French officials called the "symmetrically" calibrated expulsion of 12 Algerian officials, France's ambassador to Algiers also was being recalled home for consultations, a statement from the French presidential palace said Tuesday.

It said Algerian authorities were responsible for "a brutal deterioration in our bilateral relations."

French counterterrorism prosecutors said three Algerian nationals in total were arrested last week and handed preliminary charges of "kidnapping or arbitrary detention … in connection with a terrorist undertaking."

The group is allegedly involved in the April 2024 kidnapping of an Algerian influencer, Amir Boukhors, or Amir DZ, a known critic of the Algerian government with 1.1 million followers on TikTok.

The latest surge in acrimony followed a brief easing of tensions about two weeks ago when French President Emmanuel Macron called Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune. French officials said they had agreed to revive bilateral relations.