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Western Sahara: Moroccan press releases truths that Algiers wanted to hear…

The new French Foreign Minister’s recent doctrine on Western Sahara aimed at appeasing His Majesty Mohammed VI has been met with disappointment.

Finally, that’s what was presumed to occur after Stéphane Séjourné’s resounding declaration on this thorny issue. “France’s apparent and constant support for the Moroccan autonomy plan has been a reality since 2007 (…). We add that it is now time to move forward (…)”, announced the head of French diplomacy on February 10, 2024. After that, he gave a good deal on February 25 in Rabat. With this, the Moroccan sovereign had the right to anticipate spectacular progress from Paris. On arrival, the affair deflated like a balloon. It’s not me who says it, it’s the Moroccan press…

The Sahara case was a bit like the royal gift that Paris had to give to the King of Morocco to mark the official end of the intense diplomatic tension which has lasted for years. The Moroccan magazine “TelQuel” did not beat around the bush on its front page of March 1, 2024: “Morocco-France: a visit that made a pschitt”. Judgment without appeal.

“Without improvement, without perspectives, without strong statements, the visit of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs, Stéphane Séjourné, does not lead to anything tangible. We still cannot speak about reconciliation,” asserts the Moroccan magazine. So nothing conclusive, still according to the same source, during this visit with great fanfare, the only point which drew attention was the exceptionally long interview – nearly 2 hours – between Séjourné and his counterpart Nasser Bourita.

It is not only the Moroccan sovereign and the local media who were eyeing the Western Sahara issue, there are above all the separatists of the Polisario Front and their support, Algeria. For the latter, satisfaction is total since Paris has been “timid”, restricting itself to repeating France’s “constant” support for the autonomy plan that Rabat staunchly defends…

Séjourn “didn’t move an inch. And he also took up what the prior minister, Catherine Colonna, had said,” remarks political scientist Mustapha Sehimi. “Paris should at least align with the Spanish position as it was formulated in April 2022, by clearly stating that the Moroccan project, enshrined by the [UN] Security Council since 2007, constitutes the “only option to resolve the conflict,” he adds.

But optimism remains on the side of Morocco. According to a diplomat approached by the magazine Séjourné has cleared the ground and what has not yet been announced could be announced very soon during the visit of two French ministers said to be committed to the Moroccan cause: Rachida Dati, in charge of Culture and especially Bruno Le Maire, at the head of the Department of Economy and Finance…

This is furthermore a move that Algiers will scrutinize closely. In the meantime, no clouds on the horizon between France and Algeria. Nothing tangible concerning the change in Paris’ positioning on the Sahara issue and the business side things are going well. The 15th edition of Rencontres-Algérie started this Tuesday, March 5, an occasion which takes place in Paris, Lyon and Marseille, over 3 days. The Algerian Economic Renewal Council (Crea) and the French Business Movement (Medef) are heading towards “Algeria: new partnerships”.

It is a question of growing the partnership between the two nations and putting on the table a certain number of major issues which will be decided during the trip of the Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, to France, after the month of Ramadan. This is what mobilizes the two partners… that and the Sahara issue, make no mistake. The French head of state, Emmanuel Macron, will have to display tact to maintain the goat and the cabbage in balance (Algiers and Rabat).