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| Algeria's Bouteflika Conflicting U.N. statements |
| HASSAN MASIKY | |
 Washington DC, October 09,2009-- The Morocco-Algeria saga continues, even tough Morocco’s local autonomy solution for the Western Sahara keeps gaining momentum on the international scene. This time around, it was Algeria’s President Abdelaziz Bouteflika’s speech to the United Nations (UN) General assembly that illustrates the gap between some Algerian officials that are pushing for an end to the hostiles with Morocco over the Sahara and the Polisario lobby which has been sabotaging any overtures, no matter how symbolic, towards Morocco.In his speech Mr. Bouteflika reaffirmed his support to the UN mission to the Western Sahara, and to the right of the people of Sahara to self-determination. The latter statement signals Algeria’s disapproval of Morocco’s ambitious local autonomy plan for its Southern Provinces. To justify his position, the Algerian President stated -the quote is in French- “Fidèle à ses principles, l'Algérie a, de tout temps, soutenu les mouvements de liberation nationale dans le monde et a toujours plaidé la cause des peoples colonisés, opprimés et privés de leur independence.” Since Mr. Abdelaziz Bouteflika “has been” a champion of oppressed people around the globe, the guardian of minorities deprived of their rights for independence and a spokesman for national liberation movements worldwide; I have few questions for his Excellency the President of the Republic of Algeria: Where were you Mr. President when China was crushing Muslim Uighurs in the Chinese province of Xinjiang? Why didn’t your spokesman Mr. Belkhadem made his famous blusterous statement denouncing the oppression of the Uighur Muslim minority? Mr. President, why is Algeria not supporting the minority Touareg in Mali, instead of meditating between the oppressed Tourag and the Malian government with the purpose of inclusion and not independence? Why is Algeria not denouncing India’s defiance in denying the Kashmiris their rights to self-determination? And close to home. Why is your government denying its Amazighen/Kabyle population inside Algeria the right to assemble, form associations, protest and choose independence if they wish? If the answers to these questions are obvious, the level of your Government contempt to finding an honorable solution to the Sahara conflict is obfuscate. Algeria will never dare to upset the Chinese giant. China is the engine of the Algerian economy and its gas industry. So much for bravado of Mr. Bouteflika and his defense of opposed people. In Mali, Algerian efforts to resolve the Touareg conflict have been well received by all parties. However , what is good for Mali is not good for Morocco. Sorry Touaregs, no independence for you! But for the “Sahrawis” , it is independence or else! As in the case of China, Algeria does not care about the status of the Kashmiris or any other minorities in India. The Algerian Robin Hood plays the role only when it comes to vexing Morocco. Kashmiris fight for independence from India is an Indian matter. On the contrary, the Sahrawis cause is not a Moroccan one but rather an international matter that must be discussed but a head of state during his speech to the UN. On the issue of the ill-treatment of Kabyles’ activists by the Algerian government, the matter is an Algerian internal affair that should be addressed on the national level. Unlike Mr. Bouteflika, other nations do not spend their time and money on internal issues of other countries while they have dirty laundry hidden in their closets. Bouteflika’s Speech is nothing more that propaganda disguised as a progressive message. As the people of Morocco and Algeria are struggling to make ends meet, the leaders are preoccupied with side-shows. The Algerian game is obvious: Algeria does not play with the same rules when it comes to Morocco. The conflict over the Sahara has different set of rules; rules that keep Morocco stuck in a quagmire no matter what the price is! For the critics of Morocco’s policies in its Sahara: if the head of state of Algeria used his presidential time to mud Morocco, the least Moroccans can do is take a minute to reply. It is beyond unfathomable the attitude of the Polisario lobby of accusing Moroccans of attacking Algeria’s anti-Morocco positions, comments, policies and propaganda. It is the right of every
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