On Wednesday 8 June 2022, Algeria’s Office of the President recently renounced a twenty-year-old Friendship Treaty between Spain and Algeria because of Spain’s recent recognition of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, a former Spanish Colony. Since the 1970s, Algeria has long supported the POLISARIO Front and its self-proclaimed (Saharan Arab Democratic Republic).

In 1991 the United Nations opened a Mission for the Referendum in the Western Sahara (MINURSO) in conjunction with a Cease Fire between the POLISARIO and Morocco. The original plan envisioned a referendum vote by those living in the province to determine a way ahead. Because of difficulties with registration the Referendum has not been held by all parties. King Mohammed VI has offered an Autonomy Plan that has gained recognition by several countries. It would guarantee representation in a provincial government and leverage support from other democracies that would allow the Sahrawi people to be represented in government and receive aid to settle them in the province instead of The Refugee Camps occupied in Algeria since the late 1970s.

This is an unusual foreign policy move for Algeria to sever the ties of this treaty as Spain is one of its major customers for Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) sales.

The Spanish government regards Algeria as a friendly neighbor country and restates its complete readiness to keep and develop the special cooperation relationship between our two countries, to the benefit of the people of both,” a Spanish Foreign Ministry statement said.

Spain was the former colonial power in Western Sahara until it was annexed by Morocco in 1975. Since then, Algeria and neighboring Morocco have had tense ties over the fate of the Western Sahara, at one point fighting a desert war. Morocco wants some autonomy for the region under the kingdom’s sovereignty.

Algeria also broke diplomatic relations with Morocco in August 2021.

The Western Sahara issue has combined with turbulence over energy supplies from gas-rich Algeria. The Algerian press regularly refers to Spain’s backing for Morocco as a form of “treason.”

Algeria’s diplomatic slap at Spain came hours after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez spoke at length in Spain’s Parliament on his decision to side with Morocco over the future of Western Sahara. Sanchez said having Western Sahara operate autonomously under Moroccan rule is “the most serious, realistic and credible” initiative for resolving the long dispute over the territory.

While a leader in wind and solar power, Spain still needs to import natural gas to meet its energy needs.

The recent crisis in Ukraine has prompted many European Countries to seek replacement

Suppliers of LNG as sanctions have weighed against Russia. Algeria has recently said it will favor Italy as a preferred customer for its supplies of LNG. The United States has become a supplier for Spain’s LNG and recent statements by Spanish Foreign Minister José Albares said his government has confidence in Algeria as a trustworthy supplier (of gas) and has been given guarantees from the highest level of its government” that the gas will keep flowing.

Top European Union officials said on Friday 10 June 2022 that the bloc was treating the crisis between Algeria and Spain with the “utmost concern” and warned it was prepared to take action to defend the interests of its members.

In a joint statement, European Commission executive vice president Valdis Dombrovskis and EU foreign affairs chief Josep Borrell said the decision by Algeria to suspend a two-decade-old friendship treaty with Spain, potentially freezing trade between the two countries, appeared “to be in violation of the EU-Algeria Association Agreement, in particular in the area of trade and investment.”

“This would lead to a discriminatory treatment of an EU member state and adversely affect the exercise of the Union’s rights under the Agreement,” the statement said.

Foreign Minister Alvares of Spain insisted that “what we want is dialogue and we’re not going to give any excuse for any escalation.” His personal intervention in Belgium with the EU has rallied countries to Spain’s defense.

The statement Friday came after the EU on Thursday urged Algeria to reverse its decision.

Spain’s chief worry has been that the suspension might affect important gas supplies from Algeria, but the government said that so far this has not happened. Algeria supplies 23% of Spain’s gas needs.

Spain and the rest of the 27-nation bloc are hustling now to find alternatives to Russian energy imports to protest Russia’s war in Ukraine.

Industry ministry figures show Spain exported 2 billion euros ($2.1 billion) in goods to Algeria last year while it imports were valued at nearly 5 billion euros.

Algeria’s dramatic approach with Spain may have severe consequences for their economy and domestic politics now that the European Union has stepped forward to defend Spain. The Government of Algeria has now begun to back off their previous position on the Friendship Treaty with Spain.

But the question that remains open to American and European diplomacy alike is:

Is Russia trying to play the card of its Algerian ally to put more pressure on the United States and the West in general?

Will Spain, given its dire gas needs, succumb to Algeria’s pressure?

Or is the Algerian step merely a temporary escalation and a last-ditch attempt to undermine the relations between Madrid and Rabat.

By Preston McLaughlin +News Looks

L’article Algeria Suspends Friendship Treaty With Spain. What Is Next est apparu en premier sur زوايا ميادين | Mayadin Columns.

Algeria’s announcement this week that it was severing its diplomatic ties with Morocco came as no surprise — Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune had issued a statement Aug. 18 saying relations with Morocco were being reviewed. Still, the depth of accusations Algeria leveled against Israel Aug. 24 did surprise Jerusalem. For the moment, the Israeli government has issued no comment, preferring to keep a low profile.

Algerian anger at Israel is not new, and is mainly related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. As such, it has intensified since Israel signed the Abraham Accords with Morocco, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates. Soon after the agreements were announced, Tebboune said, “There is a mad rush among Arabs to normalize ties. We will not participate in it. We will not accept it. We will not bless it. The Palestine cause is sacred, and we will not give it up.” 

But more than the Palestinian issue, the Algerian anger against the Israeli-Moroccan rapprochement was fueled by the American recognition of Moroccan sovereignty of Western Sahara. In fact, it was the Trump administration’s agreement that the United States would recognize Moroccan sovereignty that opened the way for Rabat to join the Abraham Accords. Algeria has been supporting the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario for decades, and the new triple Israeli-American-Moroccan consensus on Western Sahara was perceived by Algeria as especially hostile.

In explaining his country’s decision to sever diplomatic ties with Morocco, Algerian Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra also pointed a finger at Israel.

Recently, Algeria accused Morocco of complicity in deadly forest fires where 90 people were killed. According to Algerian authorities, the fires were of criminal origin. Algeria blamed the August fires and a related lynching incident on the Kabyle independence movements MAK and Rachad, allegedly supported by the Moroccans. “The high security council has decided … to intensify the efforts of the security services to arrest the rest of the individuals involved in the two crimes, as well as all members of the two terrorist movements that threaten public security and national unity,” read the Aug. 18 statement. It further noted that Algerian authorities are aiming for the “total eradication” of the movements, “particularly the MAK, which receives the support and aid of foreign parties … Morocco and the Zionist entity.”

Algerian anger was further fueled by the Aug. 12 visit of Israeli Foreign Minister Yair Lapid to Morocco. During that visit, Lapid expressed concerns over signs of rapprochement between Algeria and Iran. Speaking at a press conference in Casablanca, Lapid said he shared with his Moroccan counterpart Nasser Bourita “some concern about the role of the Algerian state in the region, which has drawn closer to Iran and is currently campaigning against Israel’s admission to the African Union as an observer.’’

Algeria was furious over this statement, as clearly expressed in the Aug. 24 declaration by Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra. “Morocco has turned its territory into a platform allowing foreign powers to speak with hostility about Algeria. … Since 1948, no Israeli official made a hostile declaration to an Arab country from another Arab country,’’ said Lamamra.

The issue of Lapid’s statement, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the Western Sahara disagreement are not the only grievances Algeria holds against Israel. Lamamra also denounced “massive and systematic acts of espionage” by Morocco. He was referring to the Pegasus affair, where Morocco allegedly used the Israeli-made software to spy on Algerian officials. While Rabat categorically denied these allegations immediately after their publication, Algeria obviously was not convinced by this denial.

By Rina Bassist – al-monitor.com

L’article Algeria partly blames Israel in decision to cut ties with Morocco est apparu en premier sur زوايا ميادين | Mayadin Columns.

Thousands of protesters marched in the Algerian capital and cities across the country to commemorate two years since the beginning of mass protests that culminated weeks later in the departure of longtime President Abdelaziz Bouteflika.

Demonstrators in central Algiers on Monday chanted slogans against the country’s powerful military and President Abdelmadjid Tebboune as they marched towards the iconic Grand Poste building.

“We are not here to celebrate, we are here to demand your departure,” one placard read.

Security checkpoints created traffic jams across the city, with identity checks carried out around key flashpoints. Several arrests were made.

Police tried to block protesters from gathering around the Grand Poste, the epicentre of protests against Bouteflika.

Elsewhere in the country, marches were being held Monday including in Annaba, Oran, Setif and Mostaganem, according to witnesses and accounts on social media.

Origins of the movement

Tens of thousands of people took to the streets on February 22, 2019, to protest against Bouteflika’s bid for a fifth term in office, despite his failing health.

The octogenarian gave in to public pressure, announcing in early April his decision to step down after 20 years in power.

But demonstrations did not stop. People continued staging rallies on a weekly basis to demand a complete overhaul of the political system.

The military, seen by many as the arbiter of power, resisted popular demands for change, pressing ahead with a presidential election in December 2019, which saw Tebboune elected on a record low voter turnout of just under 40 percent.

‘Same old people’

Protesters had only suspended marches last March due to coronavirus restrictions, but calls circulated on social media for a return to the streets from Monday.

On the eve of the anniversary, Tebboune announced a limited government reshuffle, in a bid to head off renewed rallies.

The reshuffle saw few major changes by Tebboune, who was once a prime minister under Bouteflika.

Among those retained are Prime Minister Abdelaziz Djerad and Justice Minister Belkacem Zeghmati, seen as a symbol of Algeria’s judicial crackdown on protesters and opposition activists.

Tebboune also signed a decree dissolving parliament, clearing the way for early elections, for which no date has yet been set.

World Opinions News – agencies

L’article Algerians mark protest movement anniversary with fresh rallies est apparu en premier sur زوايا ميادين | Mayadin Columns.

Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni received a two-year prison term at his appeal hearing on Tuesday, in a trial rights groups have called a test of press freedom in a country recently rocked by anti-government protests.

Drareni, 40, an editor at the Casbah Tribune news site and correspondent for French-language channel TV5 Monde, had been sentenced to three years in jail in August for his coverage of Algeria’s anti-government protests.

The journalist was arrested on March 29 on charges of “inciting an unarmed gathering” and “endangering national unity” after covering demonstrations by the “Hirak” protest movement.

Weekly protests rocked Algeria for more than a year and only came to a halt in March due to the novel coronavirus crisis.

The Algerian judiciary has stepped up prosecutions and convictions of journalists, activists, political opponents and bloggers in recent months.

Some journalists have been accused of sowing discord, threatening national interests and being on the payroll of “foreign parties” with several in prison and trials under way.

Algerian journalist Drareni jailed in test of press freedom after wave of protests

Media watchdog Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which had called for Drareni’s release, condemned Tuesday’s verdict.

“We are outraged by the blind stubbornness of the Algerian judges who have just condemned (Drareni) to 2 years in prison,” RSF secretary-general Christophe Deloire tweeted after the verdict was announced.

 “Khaled’s detention proves the regime locks itself into a logic of absurd, unfair and violent repression.”

Drareni was tried along with Samir Benlarbi and Slimane Hamitouche, two figures of the protest movement known as “Hirak”. 

Facing the same charges, Benlarbi and Hamitouche were sentenced to four months in prison and released on time served.

World Opinions Freedom – AFP

L’article Algerian journalist Khaled Drareni jailed for two years on appeal est apparu en premier sur زوايا ميادين | Mayadin Columns.