Ahmed Attaf, the foreign minister of Algeria, was in the United States for a two-day visit when he had a disagreement with Antony Blinken, his American counterpart, about the Sahara.

Even though Blinken declared that he fully supported the UN’s political process, Algeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had claimed that both ministers supported attempts to get the opposing sides to participate in the process without conditions.

On Wednesday, August 9, Attaf met with his American counterpart, Blinken. The conversation centered on the “partnership with Algeria and consultations on common priorities,” such as the stability of the Sahel region and peace initiatives in Ukraine.

In a press release from the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, it was stated that Blinken and Attaf “discussed the latest developments of the Western Sahara question and reiterated their support for the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr. Staffan de Mistura, to make it possible for the two conflicting parties to take the United Nations-led political process seriously and without conditions.”

The US State Department swiftly contrasted this by issuing a press release in which it reiterated the ministers’ support for Staffan de Mistura’s negotiations with all parties involved, including Algeria, “to reach a political solution for Western Sahara,” without making any mention of conditions.

Met with Algerian Foreign Minister @AhmedAttaf_Dz to discuss the U.S.-Algeria partnership and consult on shared priorities, including stability in the Sahel and a just and durable peace in Ukraine. We also affirmed our full support for the UN political process for Western Sahara.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) August 9, 2023

The two sides talked about regional developments, focusing in particular on the situations in Niger, Mali, and Libya. They underlined the coherence of their individual stances and their efforts to seek diplomatic solutions to these issues in order to spare the area the dangers involved with the armed course of action.

The two ministers also spoke about the developments surrounding the Palestinian issue in light of the blocked chances for the political process to resume.

Read also: Algeria Accuses Morocco of ‘Attempts to Hit National Economy’

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Washington – U.S. State Secretary, Antony Blinken, lauded the “crucial voice” of HM King Mohammed VI in advancing peace in the Middle-East and promoting a “secure and prosperous” future for Israelis and Palestinians.

The US State Department released a statement after the top US diplomat and Nasser Bourita, the Moroccan minister of foreign affairs, African cooperation, and Moroccans abroad, spoke on the phone on Sunday. “The Secretary lauded King Mohamed VI’s crucial voice in advancing regional peace and his leadership in promoting a secure and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians,” the statement read.

The two officials agreed that “full adherence to the recent ceasefire in Israel and Gaza” was crucial during their discussions about “the importance of the Negev Forum”.

The Middle East peace process and the two-state solution have been advanced by Morocco, led by HM King Mohammed VI, head of the Al-Quds Committee, according to recent praise from the United States for this country’s “appreciated role” in these endeavors.

“Of course HM, Morocco has a special relationship with the Palestinians. We value Morocco’s help to the Palestinian people and support for the two-state solution, said the U.S. Department of State Spokesperson. King Mohammed VI is the head of the Al-Quds Committee of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

In his phone conversation with his Moroccan counterpart, Blinken reaffirmed his commitment to continuing to fortify the bilateral security and economic relationship between the United States and Morocco.

Read Also: Sahara Issue: U.S. Reiterates Support for Autonomy Plan, Deeming it ‘Serious, Credible and Realistic’

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On Sunday, American Secretary of State Anthony Blinken and Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita spoke by phone to discuss regional and international developments while reiterating their commitment to furthering their bilateral cooperation in the areas of security and economy.

According to a statement from the U.S. State Department, Blinken “welcomed King Mohammed VI’s decisive role in promoting regional peace and his leadership in promoting a secure and prosperous future for Israelis and Palestinians.”

I spoke with @MarocDiplomatie’s Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita today. We discussed the ceasefire between Israel and Gaza, strengthening the U.S.-Moroccan bilateral partnership, and efforts to advance regional peace and security.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) May 15, 2023

The two ministers “mentioned the importance of the Negev Forum,” the same source claims. “They also emphasized the significance of a total commitment to the cease-fire between Israel and Gaza.” Along with the need to support a resolution to the situation in Syria in accordance with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, Blinken also emphasized “the illegal occupation of Ukraine by Russia.”

The official added that “the United States fully supports the personal envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura, as part of the UN process on Western Sahara with a view to achieving a lasting political outcome.”

Read Also : HM unveils the first model of a Moroccan car brand, prototype of a hydrogen vehicle

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On December 02, 2022, the Head of the U.S. Diplomacy, Antony Blinken made public the designation of governments and non-state actors that commit or tolerate harassment, threats, imprisonment and killings of people because of their religious beliefs.

This year again, and for the second time in a row, Algeria is on the list of states placed by the U.S. Department of State under “Special Surveillance” for having committed or tolerated serious violations of religious freedom.

Algeria has had little difficulty in continuing, if not magnifying, the extremely serious violations and abuses committed in order to suffocate the rights derived from religious freedom within the country.

The fact that Algeria is once again on this list indicates the lack of change in the bleak situation of religious freedom in the country, as presented by the U.S. Department of State in its Report on Religious Freedom in the World for the year 2021.

The report contains a long list of violations that have been condemned and highlighted by religious and civil society leaders. For example, Catholic leaders reported that, due to what they perceived to be growing intolerance of Christians, the archdiocese of Algiers was unable to find someone willing to carve a cross on the Algiers tombstone of Archbishop Henri Teissier, who died in Oran in December 2020; many Christian leaders also reported having no contact with the National Commission for Non-Muslim Worship, despite its legal mandate to work with them on registration.

In addition, religious and civil society leaders have reported informal, religion-based obstacles to public sector employment for the Jewish community, as well as administrative challenges when dealing with bureaucracy.

The impunity with which these abuses occur is increased by the Algerian government’s lack of dialogue on this subject with its population and international partners.

Persecution of religious minorities and violations of freedom of belief in general are a genuine constant of the Algerian dictatorship, which stands out for its recurrent failures to respect human rights, dragging the country farther down a catastrophic path.

The lack of religious freedom is merely one of many apparent aspects of Algeria’s poor human rights record.

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