C24/Moroccan Sahara: Algeria Suffers from Incurable Schizophrenic Pathology – Hilale

Dili (Timor-Leste) – The regional seminar of the UN Committee of 24 (C24), which recently concluded its work in Dili, Timor-Leste, was marked by the usual Moroccan-Algerian verbal exchanges, in the form of two right of reply.

True to his trademark philippics, vehement provocations, and fallacious allegations, the Head of the Algerian delegation spoke out against what he called the singling out of his country in Morocco’s discourse, claiming that it is not party to the Moroccan Sahara dispute. Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Omar Hilale, responded that « he only recalled real facts and actions openly acknowledged by his Algeria », asking « Who created the ‘polisario’? It was Algeria. Where is it located? On Algerian soil. Who is financing it? It’s Algeria. Who is leading the diplomatic campaigns against Morocco? It’s Algeria again ». This is why Algeria is cited five times in each of the latest Security Council resolutions, he added. Reacting to Algeria’s pseudo-observer status, the ambassador noted that « unfortunately, Algeria suffers from an incurable schizophrenic pathology. It is not party to the conflict, but at the same time, it has been opposing the resumption of the political process for three years, thus blocking the political settlement of this regional dispute ». In turn, Hilale criticized the Algerian diplomat for « using outdated +software+ because Algeria’s narrative stopped in the year 2000 and ignored the important developments that have occurred over the past 25 years, » wondering « why Algeria never refers to the Security Council resolutions since 2000? ». He replied: Algeria never cites them because they contradict the foundations of its position, by acknowledging the death of the referendum, by recognizing the preeminence of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, by expressly holding Algeria accountable and noting the international momentum in favor of the Moroccan initiative. This is something Algeria continues to ignore by resorting to a monocentric discourse focusing solely on the period of the beginning of this dispute and not on its positive diplomatic developments to date, he said. Reacting to the Algerian diplomat’s claim that his country was and remains the Mecca of African liberation movements, Ambassador Hilale replied that « it may have been a myth during the 1960s. But currently, Algiers is the Mecca of destabilization. It is the Mecca of terrorist groups, of separatism, and of all those who want to take up arms against their own country, » noting that « unfortunately, Algeria’s policy of destabilization in the Maghreb and the Sahel has opened a wide avenue for Al-Qaeda and Daesh terrorism in Africa. » Finally, Hilale debunked the boasting of the Head of the Algerian delegation regarding the right to self-determination by challenging him that « to give credibility to its discourse, Algeria must first grant this right to those who live on its own territory, the Kabyle people, and whose claim to their right to self-determination dates back well before the very creation of the Algerian State ».