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On Tuesday, November the 6th, King Mohammed VI delivered his Green March speech, inviting the Algerian state to turn the page and put an end to the tense relationship that tied the two neighboring countries for four decades.
The sovereign called on the neighboring country to join the creation of «a political mechanism for dialogue and consultation», stressing that Morocco is open to all initiatives Algiers «may want to offer in this regard».
Algeria, however, has not issued an official response to the royal proposal. Nothing has been published on its official news agency regarding the speech that made headlines in the Kingdom.
Algeria's unofficial response
This was confirmed by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, a pan-Arab media outlet headquartered in London. The online newspaper reported that Algeria has not broken its silence yet on the joint mechanism proposed by the Moroccan King, yet Algerian diplomats and Foreign Affairs officials indicated that the country is open to Rabat’s plan.
«Algeria cannot refuse the King’s proposition, but the project needs some time to restore trust and reach a common ground of understanding» between the two nations, an Algerian diplomat told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.
The same diplomat explained that Algeria will be ready to join the new «mechanism» on the basis of four conditions.
«Morocco needs to stop launching diplomatic and media campaigns against Algeria, stop flooding the country with drugs, bettering diplomatic relations and putting the Western Sahara issue apart», the diplomat told the same source.
According to the same source, the two countries must agree on these four factors before engaging in a political mechanism for dialogue and consultation.
The Polisario's criticism
While Algeria preferred to unofficially welcome the Moroccan proposal, the Polisario Front decided to criticize the royal speech.
The Front «has strongly condemned the content of the speech of the King of Morocco delivered this November 6», reports SPS, the Polisario’s official «press agency». Although the latter ignored the creation of the «joint mechanism» mentioned in the royal speech, it insisted on condemning the Moroccan stance, welcoming the efforts of the Secretary General of the United Nations and his Personal Envoy Horst Köhler.
On the other hand, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres welcomed the proposition of King Mohammed VI. Answering a question during a daily press briefing, Guterres’ spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that Secretary-General «has always been very supportive of increased dialogue between Algeria and Morocco, and I think we… just, on the broader declarations by His Majesty».
Guterres «commends the parties and neighbors for responding positively to the invitation of Mr. Köhler for an initial roundtable to be held in Geneva on 5 and 6 December».
For the record, several countries have also welcomed the King’s proposal, including Qatar, Bahrain, Oman, United Arab Emirates as well as the Arab League.
