The Mohamad VI-Bouteflika Summit

Mohamad Al Ashab     Al-Hayat     2003/09/28

In order to avoid any embarrassment, the summit that gathered the Moroccan King Mohamad VI and the Algerian President Abdulaziz Bouteflika in New York only declared forming teamwork in order to face the illegal emigration and to fight terror "and everything that threatens the security, stability and peace in both countries." Observers of the relations between Morocco and Algeria will notice that the official statements issued in both countries adopt the signs and symbols language due to the difficulties to declare openly the stances. The problems between Rabat and Algiers are much widest to be limited to the illegal emigration and fighting terror. Any side could explain the concept of threatening the security and stability according to his vision of the current crisis. For the Moroccans, it might mean that peace, security and stability are linked to sovereignty and putting a political end to the Sahara conflict. Similarly, Algeria might consider it as an admission of the necessity of self-determination in the Western Sahara issue.      

In addition, fighting the illegal emigration is an open title to many possibilities, for this might lead to end the problems of drawing he borders lines and reopening them after they were closed for a decade. However, it might facilitate the problems regarding strengthening the supervision on the borders from where African emigrants come. This situation might render the statement of the Moroccan-Algerian summit able to become a sort of any other relation. The issues of the illegal emigration, fighting terror, establishing peace and stability could be applied to the Moroccan-Spanish relations or the Algerian-Spanish ones, which reflects the truth that using the symbols in the relations between the neighboring countries embodies caution and indecisive relations.

Holding the Moroccan-Algerian summit, although in New York, is a positive step. The suspended files between the two countries for over 30 years cannot be solved in talks that are measured in minutes. However, the political dimension of tending to solve the problems is based first on the political will and on the prevailing belief that the stability of both countries and the guarantee of their security in addition to establishing the pillars of peace in the North African region is useful to both countries.

In addition, it is difficult to divide the issues that are linked to each other, for it is difficult to define who the winner is and the looser in such difficult relations, however, the logic of getting adapted to the problems could become the hope to settle them. The Moroccans have tried to adapt with the pursuance of the Sahara conflict and the stance encompassed the economic and political planning in addition to launching diplomatic battles, in Africa, the region and the world. The Algerians are not yet exhausted by supporting the Polisario front, but the looser is both countries. Hence, building the trust is required in reconsidering the stances and results.

Holding the Moroccan-Algerian summit in New York might have political meaning the most significant being that the Sahara file is left for the UN, but it needs to a total cooperation as long as the UN cannot impose a solution if both parties do not agree to it. President George Bush supports this tendency and it now up to Morocco and Algeria to profit from the situation, for the opportunities are never repeated in the same way. If the Moroccans and Algerians look to the past, they will understand that they have lost the cohabitation way since decades. They should look at the past with a future perspective and no one can advise brothers in how to reconcile when the objectives are clear and the way paved.