The US Secretary must speak with his counterpart Nasser Bourita, Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch and the leader of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nahyane.
Le Monde with AFP
After meeting the Arab Allies in Israel, US Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, conducted Tuesday, March 29 a visit to Morocco to consolidate a regional strategic partnership in a climate of tension in the Maghreb and the Gulf. In Rabat, Mr. Blinken will begin again with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita, present Monday at the unpublished meeting in the Israeli desert of the Negev with three other Arab ministers, as well as with Prime Minister Aziz Akhannouch.
He will also meet the heir prince of Abu Dhabi and de facto leader of the United Arab Emirates, Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan, whose relations with his traditional American ally are crossed by certain tensions. On Wednesday, the Secretary of State will complete his regional tour by a stage in Algeria, rival of Morocco in North Africa and Allied Russia. In these trips, its interviews will focus on bilateral and regional security, the anti-terrorism control of the Sahel, human rights, but also the economic impact of the conflict in Ukraine, such as the risk of wheat shortage, according to US officials.
In Rabat, the question of the Western Sahara territory, a priority of Moroccan diplomacy, should appear at the top of the agenda. “Once again, the national cause, after the recognition by the United States of the” Moroccanity “of the Sahara [in December 2020], will dominate this visit,” said the Moroccan historian Moussaoui Ajlaoui in an interview with the site of Semi-Official Information Le360. In a statement, the State Department reiterated the US support in terms of autonomy – qualified “serious, credible and realistic” – presented by Morocco to resolve the “dispute” which has opposed it for decades to the Saharawi Independentists , supported by Algiers.
Yemen, Iran, Sahel and Ukraine
At the same time, Washington assured the UN Secretary-General’s staff, Mistura Staffan, supporting the “political process” under the aegis of the United Nations. The State Department also boasted a “strategic partnership rooted in common interests for peace, security and prosperity” in the region. Regarding the war in Ukraine, Morocco did not participate in the two votes of the UN General Assembly condemning the Russian invasion, keeping a position in the conflict. This claimed neutrality illustrates Rabat’s desire not to work up Russia, a member of the UN Security Council on the issue of Western Sahara, according to analysts.
In addition, Anthony Blinken will have the opportunity to discuss regional security with Prince Mohammed Ben Zayed Al-Nahyan, says “Mbz”, the strong man of the United Arab Emirates, who has a residence in Morocco. Like Israel, the Emirates and Morocco are coming together against Iran, while the United States seeks to revive the 2015 nuclear agreement with Tehran, supposed to prevent the atomic bomb. In exchange for the lifting of international sanctions. In addition, the Emirates are part of a military coalition, led by Saudi Arabia, which has been helping since 2015 to the Government of Yemen, at the war against the houthis, close to Iran.
In Algiers, Mr. Blinken will continue his discussions on safe cooperation – especially the Sahel – and the Ukrainian crisis. The US diplomat could thus evoke the reopening of the Maghreb-Europe pipeline, which would reduce the dependence of the European Union countries with Russian gas. This pipeline serving Spain and transiting by Morocco has been closed in October by Algeria as a result of the rupture of its diplomatic relations with Rabat in August 2021. Algiers then excuned “hostile acts” of his neighbor for justify its decision. In addition to Western Sahara, accelerated standardization between Morocco and Israel is among the litigation between the two enemy brothers of the Maghreb.