28/04/2008
A summit of several Maghreb political parties kicked off on Sunday (April 27th) in Tangiers but was marred by an exchange of remarks between Moroccan and Algerian politicians, local and international press reported. The summit is being held on the occasion of 50th anniversary of the 1958 Maghreb Congress in Tangier. This year's summit gathers political parties from Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Libya and Mauritania. It targets true Maghreb economic integration, including a shared currency and the free movement of people and goods.
Addressing the meeting, Moroccan Minister of State Mohamed El Yazghi called on Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika to "support the Moroccan plan to drag the Sahara case out of its impasse". Algerian Prime Minister Abdelaziz Belkhadem responded quickly that "since its independence, Algeria has always defended just causes and national independence movements... even among its neighbours". Belkhadem was interrupted by insistences that "the Sahara is Moroccan". Moroccan Prime Minister Abbas El Fassi was forced to intervene, saying that the Sahara question "will not be resolved in this room, but with justice, objectivity and calm".
Belkahdem's visit to Morocco is the first by an Algerian prime minister in the last four years