Morocco is ‘always ready to open border with Algeria’

Moroccan Prime Minister Saadeddine Othmani has said that his country is “always ready to open the border with Algeria without anything in return.” Relations between the two North African states have been stagnant for decades due to the Western Sahara dispute between Rabat and the Polisario Front.

“Morocco is ready to end the border issue when the Algerians are ready,” explained Othmani. “The Guerguerat issue and the current developments in the Moroccan Sahara file, contributed to endorsing the country’s position and strengthening its territorial integrity, which should not offend Algeria.”

He pointed out that King Mohammed VI has called repeatedly on the Algerians to reach a solution to all problems by addressing disagreements around the table and searching for solutions. In December last year, the Moroccan King sent a telegram to Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune to congratulate him on becoming president. He called for the “opening of a new page in the relations of the two countries based on mutual trust and constructive dialogue.”

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According to the Prime Minister, though, the Western Sahara issue cannot be the subject of bargaining. Moreover, regarding the issue of Ceuta and Melilla — the Spanish enclaves in Morocco over which Rabat demands control — Othmani explained that the situation has reached stalemate for “five or six centuries”.

There is a possibility of tackling the file one day, especially after settling the issue of the Western Sahara which is considered a priority. “Then the time will come to address the Ceuta and Melilla issue, because all these lands belong to Morocco, and the country sticks firmly to its territory, just as to the Western Sahara.”

The dispute between Morocco and the Polisario Front over the Western Sahara started in 1975 after the Spanish occupation ended in the region. The conflict turned into an armed confrontation that lasted until 1991 when a ceasefire agreement making the Guerguerat area a demilitarised zone was signed by the two sides.

Rabat insists on its right to the Western Sahara, and proposes expanded autonomy under its sovereignty. The Polisario Front, however, calls for a referendum to determine the region’s fate, backed by Algeria, which hosts refugees from the disputed area.