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Conservative politicians in Algeria are calling for the expulsion of an Iranian diplomat. In a Saturday issue, Arabic-language daily newspaper Echourouk, known for being close to the government, published a call made by former advisor at the Algerian Ministry of Religious Affairs in charge of communication Adda Fellahi.
The latter urged the Algerian government to deport Iranian cultural attaché Amir Moussaoui.
«I believe that in the name of preserving the interests of the nation, it is now necessary for the Iranian Embassy’s cultural attaché to take the initiative and renounce his position», he wrote.
«His activities and movements in the country and the intensive contacts he established with civil society actors, he shows off on social media, is worrying and raises embarrassing questions».
Replying to the campaign initiated by Adda Fellahi, Moussaoui published a photo of him walking in a metro station in Algiers on his social media.
The Iranian and Moroccan crisis
For the record, it is not the first time that the Iranian diplomat finds himself at the heart of a social media campaign. A Hash tag was launched be Algerians in 2017 and in January 2018 demanding his expulsion.
Although Adda Fellahi wanted the Iranian diplomat to leave for Tehran and be replaced by «a cultural attaché who deals solely with culture», tension between Morocco and the Persian country could delay such a move.
Last Tuesday, Morocco announced that it is severing diplomatic ties with Tehran, citing Hezbollah’s support for the Polisario.
Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita explained that the Kingdom has proof showing that the Lebanese movement, backed by Iran, is providing military support for the separatist movement.
Iran, Hezbollah and the Polisario denied the Moroccan accusations while other countries in the Arab world supported Morocco in its firm decision, such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Bahrain, and UAE.
Meanwhile, Algerian Foreign Ministry summoned on Wednesday the Moroccan ambassador in Algiers after Rabat issued a communiqué insisting that «it understands Algeria's embarrassment, its need to express its solidarity with its allies of Hezbollah, Iran and the Polisario, as well as its attempt to deny its hidden role in this action against the Kingdom's national security».
The ambassador was informed about «the Algerian authorities' rejection to the unfounded accusations indirectly holding Algeria responsible for the current crisis between Rabat and theran», announced the spokesman for the Algerian Foreign Ministry.
