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Moroccan FM Holds Talks with de Mistura in Rabat

Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)
Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)
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Moroccan FM Holds Talks with de Mistura in Rabat

Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)
Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura. (AFP)

Former UN envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura met Morocco's Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita in Rabat, the Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

The regional visit of de Mistura is part of the implementation of Security Council resolution 2602, adopted on October 29, 2021, in which the UN Executive Body reiterates its call to the parties to continue their commitment to the roundtable process to achieve a realistic political solution based on compromise, the official MAP agency reported.

It also said that Moroccan officials reiterated the kingdom’s "commitment to the resumption of the political process conducted under the exclusive auspices of the UN to achieve a political solution" based on a Moroccan plan for autonomy.

Rabat sees the Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony with access to lucrative phosphate resources and rich Atlantic fisheries, as its sovereign territory.

But the Polisario Front, which took up arms in the 1970s to seek independence there, demands an independence referendum on the basis of a 1991 deal that included a ceasefire.

The truce collapsed in 2020, after the Trump administration recognized Rabat's sovereignty over the Western Sahara.

Morocco has offered limited autonomy but rejected calls for independence.

King Mohamed VI reiterated that position in a November speech, calling for a "peaceful solution" to the conflict but vowed that "Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara will never be up for negotiation".

According to AFP, the last talks, under de Mistura's predecessor Horst Kohler, were in Switzerland in 2019, in a roundtable format including Morocco, the Polisario, Algeria and Mauritania.

But Algiers has since refused to take part in further roundtable discussions.

A UN Security Council resolution late last year called for "the parties" in the Western Sahara dispute to resume negotiations "without preconditions".

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Macron and Tebboune Announce Return of Normal ‘French-Algerian’ Relations

The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)
The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)
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Macron and Tebboune Announce Return of Normal ‘French-Algerian’ Relations

The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)
The Algerian and French presidents in August 2022 (Algerian presidency)

French President Emmanuel Macron and his Algerian counterpart, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, on Monday confirmed a normalization of ties after months of strained relations and agreed to reestablish political dialogue and relaunch cooperation on security and migration.
During a phone call, Macron urged Algerian counterpart Abdelmadjid Tebboune to show “mercy and humanity” towards a jailed French-Algerian writer, Boualem Sansal, the Elysee palace said in a statement.
The author was sentenced last Thursday to five years in prison after an interview he gave to a French far-right media outlet was deemed to undermine Algeria's territorial integrity.
Macron “called for a gesture of mercy and humanity towards Mr Boualem Sansal, given the age and state of health of the writer,” the Elysee statement said.
French nationals living in Algeria and who mostly own private companies, are concerned that the diplomatic rift between both countries would affect their businesses.
They hope discussions between French and Algerian high ranking officials would halt the deterioration in bilateral relations.
Michel Bisac, president of the Algerian French Chamber of Commerce and Industry, told the French-language news website Tout sur l'Algérie, that French residents in Algeria working in companies or in the finance and business fields, are “always welcomed by their Algerian partners.”
“The problem is mainly political,” he said in an attempt to minimize the escalated relations between both countries and its impact on jobs, and French investments in Algeria.
Bisac said most French companies have performed well in 2024, but the diplomatic escalation between the two countries has raised concerns.
“French companies in Algeria do not face any retaliatory measures. As for administrative difficulties, especially with regard to imports, they affect all foreign investors, and do not specifically target France,” he added.
Bisac said there is no campaign against France despite the tense relations, affirming that professional ties remain strong, and expatriates continue to work in a stable environment.
But as bilateral relations continue to deteriorate, he said, the economy could be affected, threatening years of Franco-Algerian cooperation.
Meanwhile, the government in Paris is divided on the French-Algerian crisis. French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau vowed a “gradual response” after Algeria refused Paris’ demand to readmit Algerian nationals from France that local authorities have deemed a threat and are seeking to expel.
In return, French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot will travel to Algiers on April 11 at the invitation of his Algerian counterpart, Ahmed Attaf, as part of the effort to mend ties between both countries. He is expected to meet with Tebboune.
Recently, Algerians have shown a willingness to dialogue, but the local press has continued its attacks on right-wing French officials, including presidential candidate Bruno Retailleau, who has called for the termination of the 1968 Franco-Algerian immigration agreement.
In return, Algeria's parliament established a commission to draft a law criminalizing French colonial rule, a move deemed “historical” and backed by local lawmakers, historians, and legal experts. Observers expect Algeria to abandon this step when relations between Algiers and Paris return to normal.