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A failed attempt by Moroccan diplomacy to justify extortion of Algerian embassy property in Rabat

Moroccan diplomacy continues to suffer a series of failures in the handling of files linked to Algeria, the latest of which is linked to the confiscation of the property of the Algerian embassy in Rabat, where the press release from the Algerian Ministry of Affairs foreign countries greatly embarrassed the Moroccan authorities. Who, as usual, resort to Makhzen and his media acolytes to break the deadlock.

The media outing of the former Moroccan ambassador to Algeria and the electronic newspaper "Hespress", which cites an "authorized Moroccan diplomatic source", after receiving the green light from the Makhzen, are considered an attempt to save face and provide hazardous justifications for this umpteenth Moroccan provocation against Algerian interests in Morocco.

The attempted about-face following the decision to expropriate real estate from the Algerian State by the Moroccan authorities, through an official procedure published in the Moroccan Official Bulletin, is nothing but a desperate maneuver, as the “sources” from Hespress and the French Press Agency considered that the comments of the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on “the confiscation of its diplomatic representations in Morocco are nothing more than simple unfounded allegations”. In the same article, it is confirmed that the measures taken by the Moroccan authorities in this matter are still in place, which is considered both a contradiction and a confusion.

The Moroccan diplomatic source mentioned by Hespress affirmed that the Algerian authorities accuse their Moroccan counterpart of having confiscated the chancellery and the residence of the former Algerian ambassador in Rabat, and that Morocco has only discussed a single building with the Algerian authorities, but this statement was denied by whoever said it, because the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs clearly indicated that these were the buildings belonging to the embassy and adjacent to the headquarters, only of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Morocco, and did not mention the old embassy building and the ambassador's residence at all.

Returning to the substance and details of the case, it clearly appears that the Moroccan authorities ignore and attempt to obscure several facts which are not hidden from the people who follow this case, which obliges us to return to the context which may highlight undermines the falsity of the Moroccan thesis.

First, the “Moroccan diplomatic source” which claims that “the building is not used at all”, which is considered a lie and an untruth, since the building in question houses the Algerian consular office in Rabat (the former consular section of the Algerian embassy), where it receives daily dozens of citizens, Algerians, Moroccans and others, in order to provide consular services, and this can be confirmed by taking a quick trip to 46-48, rue Tariq Bin Ziyad in Rabat, to see the intensity of activity within the consular office concerned by the file.

As for discussions about Morocco's reluctance to confiscate Algerian property, the Moroccan diplomatic source did not reveal the Moroccan authorities' attempt to empty the building and deprive him of his diplomatic immunity, nor did he mention that the Moroccan authorities demanded that the Algerian flag be lowered from the building and that any sign referring to it be removed.

Furthermore, the Moroccan diplomatic source also did not explain why Morocco confiscated all the license plates of the cars of employees of the consular section? The Moroccan diplomatic source also did not specify that the authorities of his country ignored the agreement aimed at maintaining consular relations between the two countries, because it must be emphasized that the Moroccan consulate in Algiers is still functioning normally, despite the repeated attempts by Morocco to hinder the activity of the Algerian consular mission in Rabat.

Regarding the justifications given by the same newspaper, which stated that the process of expansion of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recent years had involved many diplomatic buildings, in particular those of Ivory Coast and Switzerland, the " source" avoided specifying that the Algerian diplomatic building is the property of the Algerian State, and not of a tenant, such as the Swiss and Ivorian diplomatic buildings which have been rented and are not the property of these States; At the end of the rental period, they were normally released, something that the Moroccan authorities were unable to do with the Danish state. The buildings belonging to the Danish embassy directly overlooking the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not been evacuated.

Also, the expansion process spoken about by this source was not intended to enlarge the ministry headquarters, but rather to prepare the Oued Bouregreg road as part of the “Rabat, capital of lights” project, which did not not yet seen the light of day. This is further proof of the bad faith of the Moroccan regime.

As for the rumors according to which the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Algerian authorities of the desire of the Moroccan State to amicably acquire the aforementioned building, Morocco has in fact offered to exchange the aforementioned building for the residence of the Moroccan ambassador to Algeria, a request that Algeria rejected, because the residence of the Moroccan ambassador to Algeria is the property of the Algerian state and was made available to Morocco. How can an Algerian building be exchanged for another Algerian building for the benefit of Morocco?

The behavior of the Moroccan authorities is not new, because the aims of the Moroccan authorities on this building date back to the 1980s, despite their knowledge of the historical value of this building for Algeria, because the Moroccan regime has not at all accepted the Algerian project. the embassy being installed next to the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs and seeing the Algerian flag flying daily under the hateful and attentive eye of ministry officials.

Furthermore, the attempt to justify the vulgar attempt to extort Algerian property in Rabat under the pretext that the property of the Algerian State no longer benefits from the privileges and immunities provided for by international law, since they no longer house buildings diplomatic and consular, as they claim, is a naive attempt which shows not only ignorance of international law, but also a blatant lack of seriousness.


Translation of the Echourouk article by Belgacem Merbah


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