Morocco and Algeria Renew Western Sahara Conflict
Author: alzamanPosted February 28, 2013 
The long-festering conflict between Morocco and Algeria over the Western Sahara has reemerged. Key officials from both countries have released conflicting statements about who is responsible for the stalemate. Morocco has accused Algeria of refusing to cooperate, while the latter points out that the UN should settle this sort of decolonization issue.
Algerian media outlets reported that the spokesman from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amar Belani, said that responsibility for resolving the Sahara case falls with the UN alone.
The statement came in response to a comment made by Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, who said, “If we had been able to find a solution with our Algerian brothers regarding the Sahara, we would have cooperated better and resolved the existing problems together,” hinting at the Mali crisis.
“Our Moroccan brothers know perfectly well that the Sahara issue has been on the UN’s agenda for a long time. It was the subject of a follow-up by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization designated to grant independence to colonized people and countries,” responded the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Belani described the Moroccan prime minister’s statement, in which he made a connection between the Western Sahara issue and a lack of cooperation in dealing with the Mali crisis, as deceptive. He reiterated that such views taint the region with Western approaches, and stem from a trivializing analysis as well as deceptive and artificial reasoning.”
In other news, Moroccan authorities have arrested five preachers and a cleric at different mosques in eastern Morocco for paying tribute to deceased opposition leader and founder of the Justice and Charity Movement, Abdesslam Yassine, who died last December. In a statement published on its official website, the movement described these practices as “reckless” and held the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic affairs responsible for these acts of despotism, while avowing its full support for the arrested preachers. The movement announced in the same statement the names of the arrested clerics, which included Youssef Mistari, the preacher of the Zeid bin Arqam mosque; Mohamad Bilabass and Mohamed Bilkadi, from Driouch province; Abdulhamid al-Dawdi from al-Nazour province; in addition to a preacher from the al-Arwi region.
The statement came in response to a comment made by Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane, who said, “If we had been able to find a solution with our Algerian brothers regarding the Sahara, we would have cooperated better and resolved the existing problems together,” hinting at the Mali crisis.
“Our Moroccan brothers know perfectly well that the Sahara issue has been on the UN’s agenda for a long time. It was the subject of a follow-up by the UN Special Committee on Decolonization designated to grant independence to colonized people and countries,” responded the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Belani described the Moroccan prime minister’s statement, in which he made a connection between the Western Sahara issue and a lack of cooperation in dealing with the Mali crisis, as deceptive. He reiterated that such views taint the region with Western approaches, and stem from a trivializing analysis as well as deceptive and artificial reasoning.”
In other news, Moroccan authorities have arrested five preachers and a cleric at different mosques in eastern Morocco for paying tribute to deceased opposition leader and founder of the Justice and Charity Movement, Abdesslam Yassine, who died last December. In a statement published on its official website, the movement described these practices as “reckless” and held the Ministry of Awqaf and Islamic affairs responsible for these acts of despotism, while avowing its full support for the arrested preachers. The movement announced in the same statement the names of the arrested clerics, which included Youssef Mistari, the preacher of the Zeid bin Arqam mosque; Mohamad Bilabass and Mohamed Bilkadi, from Driouch province; Abdulhamid al-Dawdi from al-Nazour province; in addition to a preacher from the al-Arwi region.
Read More: http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/politics/2013/02/morocco-algeria-western-sahara.html
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