Algeria rejects new mediation initiative with Morocco

MADRID, Nov. 30 (YPA) – A Spanish newspaper said on Tuesday that Algeria rejected a new mediation attempt under the auspices of Madrid between Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra and his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita.

This came during the meeting of the Union for the Mediterranean in Barcelona.

The Spanish newspaper “El Pais” explained that “Lamamra preferred to move to the Senegalese capital, Dakar, to participate in the ministerial meeting of the Forum on African-Chinese Cooperation, rather than move to Barcelona to attend the Forum of the Union for the Mediterranean, where he was supposed to be offered mediation.”

It added that the Algerian foreign minister apologized for participating at the last moment to his Spanish counterpart, José Manuel Alparis.

Tensions escalated between Morocco and Algeria after the killing of three Algerians earlier this month, in a bombing on the borders of the Mauritanian Western Sahara, and Algeria accused Morocco of being behind the incident.

This comes at a time when Morocco and Algeria are experiencing a severe diplomatic crisis, following the latter’s decision last August to sever its relationship with Rabat because of what it considered “hostile trends” from it.

YPA