Sahara: this voice of wisdom that speaks from the Emirates

By Hassan Benadad on 10/28/2020 at 19:59

Kiosk 360. Abu Dhabi’s decision to open a consulate general in Laayoune constitutes a victory for Morocco and a stinging defeat for the Algerian generals. This change of course will redefine positions on sensitive issues in the region, such as those of Libya and Mauritania.

The telephone interview that King Mohammed VI had on Tuesday with the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Mohamed Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, constitutes a major diplomatic event carrying several signals. First, the decision of the Emirates to open a consulate general in Laâyoune is a great victory for Moroccan diplomacy, especially since it comes after a long period of cold in relations between the two countries. Then the United Arab Emirates decided on their alliances in the Maghreb region in favor of Morocco, at the expense of the Algerian generals who had long bet on a rupture between Rabat and Abu Dhabi. Daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia reports, in its edition of Thursday, October 29, that by taking this decision, Abu Dhabi is providing unfailing support for the Moroccan character of the Sahara, in a tense context, moreover, in the southern provinces.

The professor of constitutional law and political science at Cadi Ayyad University in Marrakech, Mohamed Zahraoui, analyzes this event on the relational, geopolitical and geostrategic levels: “What is striking about this unexpected decision is that it occurs in a particular context. at the level of relations between the two countries, which experienced strong tensions for more than a year and a half. Then, this support which goes beyond the symbolic comes at the time when the Polisario militias, directed by the military regime, indulge in serious provocations in the border post of Gueragart ”. In doing so, adds the professor, the leaders of Abu Dhabi have turned the page on the disagreement or misunderstanding that almost caused the rift between the two countries. It should not be forgotten, he continues, that during certain periods, this misunderstanding turned into intense antagonism at the level of the political positions of the two countries.

Daily Al Ahdath Al Maghribia reports that Mohamed Zahraoui indicated that, geopolitically, Abu Dhabi had decided on its strategic alliances with the Arab Maghreb by returning to the fold of its traditional allies. We must not forget, continues the professor of law, that at a certain time, the Emirates forged close relations, even alliances with influential Algerian generals, in particular Caïd Saleh and Saïd Chengriha. Suddenly, underlines the same speaker, this change of course of the Emirates will be followed by the redefinition of their positions and policies in the Maghreb region, in particular as regards the Mauritanian and Libyan files.

In any case, this is the argument developed by Professor Zahraoui: “the fact that the Emirates supports the territorial integrity of Morocco by opening a consulate in Laâyoune will help to bring together and soften the positions of some and others, concerning sensitive issues in the region such as those of Libya and Mauritania. The two parties will be able to find a better space for understanding and coordination and to revise visions regarding the Emirati presence in Mauritania, so as to serve the interests of Morocco’s national security ”. On the geostrategic level, Professor Mohamed Zahraoui considers that the initiative of the United Arab Emirates will cause embarrassment to some Gulf countries. The very people, he concludes, who use a double discourse – which adheres to and who both rejects – and use the map of the Moroccan Sahara as a means of pressure, even blackmail.