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Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia: why these countries reject the strikes in Syria
#Diplomacy
Whether they seek to spare the political forces internally, to get closer to Russia, or that it is part of their diplomatic doctrine, Algiers, Rabat and Tunis have expressed their concern at the escalation of violence in Syria
For Mohammed VI (here in Moscow in 2016), Russia is a country to spare to overcome the unpredictability of relations between Morocco and Western countries (AFP)
Réda Zaireg and Malek Bachir
April 16, 2018
Rabat spares Russia, its main trading partner in the region
In a statement issued Saturday , Morocco has chosen to denounce "the use of chemical weapons, including against innocent civilian populations", and "military options, including airstrikes as justified or proportional are they" which, for Rabat, "Only complicate political solutions, aggravate the suffering of civilian victims and exacerbate their feelings for the West".
By condemning with much praise the strikes of the trio led by the United States and the use of chemical weapons by the army of Assad, Morocco does not deviate from its position on the Syrian conflict, which consists in maintaining the between the different forces, without taking too strong a position towards one or the other.
Moroccan Prime Minister Saâdeddine el-Othmani and his Russian counterpart Dimitri Medvedev on October 11, 2017 (AFP)
It must be said that the kingdom, which is one of the main trading partners of Russia ($ 3 billion exchange in 2017) in the region, has been actively working for some years to get closer to Moscow ... and makes its best not to inconvenience the Russian ally.
In November 2016, when former Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane criticized Russia's action in Syria, asking "why does it want to destroy Syria (...) instead of finding a solution to this crisis? The Department of Foreign Affairs, whose minister is appointed by the King, condemned these remarks.
"Morocco respects the role and the action of the Russian Federation on this file"
- The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
And after a hearing in which the Russian ambassador to Morocco expressed his country's concern at the exit of Abdelilah Benkirane, the former Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar had called, in a statement, statements of the head of government "random improvisations".
Saturday's communiqué clarified the kingdom's position on the Syrian crisis: "Morocco is convinced that the resolution of the Syrian crisis requires a strong involvement of the international community and, in particular, of the powers able to act on the ground and to weigh on the course of events. It respects the role and the action of the Russian Federation on this issue as well as on other international issues ".
Since his enthronement, Mohammed VI has traveled to Russia twice, in 2002 and in 2016. Where his father, King Hassan II, had forged cordial but contained relations with the USSR to ensure his positive neutrality. - no more - to Morocco, Mohammed VI sees an ally that would allow him to overcome the unpredictability of its relations with Western countries, as part of a policy of "balance game".
READ: The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the (very) likely friend of Morocco
Indeed, the changing policy of successive US administrations vis-à-vis the kingdom seems to be confusing Moroccan power. Moreover, the various pressures exerted on Morocco by the European Union concerning human rights and Western Sahara seem to be gradually motivating Morocco to strengthen its partnership with Russia, considered as a more pragmatic partner.
And despite the fact that Morocco does not share with Russia as many values as with its traditional allies and that "on a number of regional and international issues, Morocco's position is divergent with that of Russia", as highlighted by a Moroccan diplomatic note fleeing in 2014 , this one "has a perception of the action of the UN close to that of Morocco", and "defends today the principles defended by Morocco".
For Algiers, condemning the interference is a matter of principle
As it does for Libya, Mali or any country in the world, Algeria defends, in the name of the sovereignty of the countries, the political solution and rejects any foreign intervention.
Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia told a press conference on Saturday that he "regrets the strikes in Syria". While recalling that Algeria was a signatory to the convention against the use of chemical weapons, he stressed how important it would have been to wait for the results of the commission of inquiry.
"The Syrian issue is more in need of a political solution and unfortunately these strikes will still create an atmosphere that will not fail to weigh negatively on a dynamics of political settlement of the Syrian crisis," he added.
Algeria, which shares with Syria a long history and committed to the resolution of the conflict one of its most brilliant diplomats - Lakhdar Brahimi succeeded Kofi Annan as UN Special Envoy to Syria from 2012 to 2014 - has already refused to participate in the armed coalition in Syria and Yemen at the initiative of Saudi Arabia in March 2015. With Iraq, Egypt and Tunisia, it also supports the return of Syria to the League Arab. "Syria seems indispensable to the smooth running of the Arab League," Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel told Russia Todayrecently .
"Algeria deplores the recent military escalation of the situation in Syria," said the foreign affairs spokesman, arguing that "any military escalation of any kind is only complicating and to delay the chances of reaching a political and peaceful solution to the tragedy of this brother country. "
At the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) in Paris where he was on April 11, the head of Algerian diplomacy had, even before the strikes, recalled that "the weapons and the bombings are not solution to the situation in Syria ". He also advocated "letting Syrians, from all walks of life, find their solution and demonstrate this willingness to go beyond."
This position is also that of the Workers Party (PT), which in a public statement denounced "the successive governments of the great powers" which "create conditions of war". "With or without a UN mandate, the US, UK and French governments have no right to intervene in Syria or elsewhere. "
Protests in Tunis to call on the Tunisian state to condemn the strikes
Torn between the influence of Ennahdha (Islamists) - the second party in power, in the eyes of which to legitimize Bashar al-Assad is inconceivable - and that of the Tunisian General Union of Labor (UGTT) - counter-power for which to applaud the strikes would be experienced as a provocation - Tunisia has officially opted for neutrality.
Tunis expressed "its extreme concern and concern about the alarming developments in the region," and called for "the consolidation of efforts by all parties to avoid escalation and tension that would only increase the distress of the Syrian brother people.
The strikes in Syria were still mostly condemned.
The president of Ennahdha Rached Ghannouchi rejoiced, seeing it as an "important event" - a position that part of the Tunisian press blamed the Islamist party's detestation of the Syrian regime, which vigorously repressed.
But the dominant position is the condemnation: thus, the general secretary of the Tunisian General Union of Labor (UGTT) Noureddine Taboubi described the official position of Tunisia as "shameful", and called for a stronger condemnation of the strikes.
Voir l'image sur Twitter
Tunis : Rassemblement de soutien à la Syrie
In Tunis, protesters gathered Saturday in front of the municipal theater called on the Tunisian state to strongly condemn the strikes against a regime that some Tunisian politicians see as a "partner in the fight against terrorism."
Since 2012, under the mandate of former President Moncef Marzouki, Tunisia has severed diplomatic relations with Syria to protest against the crackdown by the regime of Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of the civil war.
But since 2014, the idea of a restoration of diplomatic relations is timidly advanced in Tunisia. It was, at the time, worn by Nidaa Tounès, the current ruling party. The rise of the threat of armed Islamist groups in Tunisia, whose nationals formed the main foreign contingent of the Islamic State group, with more than 3,000 combatants, hastened a questioning of the choice of rupture in favor of more pragmatic considerations.
In April 2017, President Béji Caïd Essebsi conditioned the resumption of diplomatic relations by improving and stabilizing the situation in Syria. Three months later, a petition seeking to restore the diplomatic relations between the two countries was rejected by the deputies of the Assembly of People's Representatives (APR), for lack of having been able to collect the quorum of 109 votes required.
#Diplomacy
Whether they seek to spare the political forces internally, to get closer to Russia, or that it is part of their diplomatic doctrine, Algiers, Rabat and Tunis have expressed their concern at the escalation of violence in Syria
For Mohammed VI (here in Moscow in 2016), Russia is a country to spare to overcome the unpredictability of relations between Morocco and Western countries (AFP)
Réda Zaireg and Malek Bachir
April 16, 2018
Rabat spares Russia, its main trading partner in the region
In a statement issued Saturday , Morocco has chosen to denounce "the use of chemical weapons, including against innocent civilian populations", and "military options, including airstrikes as justified or proportional are they" which, for Rabat, "Only complicate political solutions, aggravate the suffering of civilian victims and exacerbate their feelings for the West".
By condemning with much praise the strikes of the trio led by the United States and the use of chemical weapons by the army of Assad, Morocco does not deviate from its position on the Syrian conflict, which consists in maintaining the between the different forces, without taking too strong a position towards one or the other.
It must be said that the kingdom, which is one of the main trading partners of Russia ($ 3 billion exchange in 2017) in the region, has been actively working for some years to get closer to Moscow ... and makes its best not to inconvenience the Russian ally.
In November 2016, when former Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane criticized Russia's action in Syria, asking "why does it want to destroy Syria (...) instead of finding a solution to this crisis? The Department of Foreign Affairs, whose minister is appointed by the King, condemned these remarks.
"Morocco respects the role and the action of the Russian Federation on this file"
- The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs
And after a hearing in which the Russian ambassador to Morocco expressed his country's concern at the exit of Abdelilah Benkirane, the former Moroccan Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar had called, in a statement, statements of the head of government "random improvisations".
Saturday's communiqué clarified the kingdom's position on the Syrian crisis: "Morocco is convinced that the resolution of the Syrian crisis requires a strong involvement of the international community and, in particular, of the powers able to act on the ground and to weigh on the course of events. It respects the role and the action of the Russian Federation on this issue as well as on other international issues ".
Since his enthronement, Mohammed VI has traveled to Russia twice, in 2002 and in 2016. Where his father, King Hassan II, had forged cordial but contained relations with the USSR to ensure his positive neutrality. - no more - to Morocco, Mohammed VI sees an ally that would allow him to overcome the unpredictability of its relations with Western countries, as part of a policy of "balance game".
READ: The crown prince of Saudi Arabia, the (very) likely friend of Morocco
Indeed, the changing policy of successive US administrations vis-à-vis the kingdom seems to be confusing Moroccan power. Moreover, the various pressures exerted on Morocco by the European Union concerning human rights and Western Sahara seem to be gradually motivating Morocco to strengthen its partnership with Russia, considered as a more pragmatic partner.
And despite the fact that Morocco does not share with Russia as many values as with its traditional allies and that "on a number of regional and international issues, Morocco's position is divergent with that of Russia", as highlighted by a Moroccan diplomatic note fleeing in 2014 , this one "has a perception of the action of the UN close to that of Morocco", and "defends today the principles defended by Morocco".
For Algiers, condemning the interference is a matter of principle
As it does for Libya, Mali or any country in the world, Algeria defends, in the name of the sovereignty of the countries, the political solution and rejects any foreign intervention.
Unsurprisingly, Prime Minister Ahmed Ouyahia told a press conference on Saturday that he "regrets the strikes in Syria". While recalling that Algeria was a signatory to the convention against the use of chemical weapons, he stressed how important it would have been to wait for the results of the commission of inquiry.
"The Syrian issue is more in need of a political solution and unfortunately these strikes will still create an atmosphere that will not fail to weigh negatively on a dynamics of political settlement of the Syrian crisis," he added.
Algeria, which shares with Syria a long history and committed to the resolution of the conflict one of its most brilliant diplomats - Lakhdar Brahimi succeeded Kofi Annan as UN Special Envoy to Syria from 2012 to 2014 - has already refused to participate in the armed coalition in Syria and Yemen at the initiative of Saudi Arabia in March 2015. With Iraq, Egypt and Tunisia, it also supports the return of Syria to the League Arab. "Syria seems indispensable to the smooth running of the Arab League," Foreign Minister Abdelkader Messahel told Russia Todayrecently .
"Algeria deplores the recent military escalation of the situation in Syria," said the foreign affairs spokesman, arguing that "any military escalation of any kind is only complicating and to delay the chances of reaching a political and peaceful solution to the tragedy of this brother country. "
At the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) in Paris where he was on April 11, the head of Algerian diplomacy had, even before the strikes, recalled that "the weapons and the bombings are not solution to the situation in Syria ". He also advocated "letting Syrians, from all walks of life, find their solution and demonstrate this willingness to go beyond."
This position is also that of the Workers Party (PT), which in a public statement denounced "the successive governments of the great powers" which "create conditions of war". "With or without a UN mandate, the US, UK and French governments have no right to intervene in Syria or elsewhere. "
Protests in Tunis to call on the Tunisian state to condemn the strikes
Torn between the influence of Ennahdha (Islamists) - the second party in power, in the eyes of which to legitimize Bashar al-Assad is inconceivable - and that of the Tunisian General Union of Labor (UGTT) - counter-power for which to applaud the strikes would be experienced as a provocation - Tunisia has officially opted for neutrality.
Tunis expressed "its extreme concern and concern about the alarming developments in the region," and called for "the consolidation of efforts by all parties to avoid escalation and tension that would only increase the distress of the Syrian brother people.
The strikes in Syria were still mostly condemned.
The president of Ennahdha Rached Ghannouchi rejoiced, seeing it as an "important event" - a position that part of the Tunisian press blamed the Islamist party's detestation of the Syrian regime, which vigorously repressed.
But the dominant position is the condemnation: thus, the general secretary of the Tunisian General Union of Labor (UGTT) Noureddine Taboubi described the official position of Tunisia as "shameful", and called for a stronger condemnation of the strikes.
Voir l'image sur Twitter
Tunis : Rassemblement de soutien à la Syrie In Tunis, protesters gathered Saturday in front of the municipal theater called on the Tunisian state to strongly condemn the strikes against a regime that some Tunisian politicians see as a "partner in the fight against terrorism."
Since 2012, under the mandate of former President Moncef Marzouki, Tunisia has severed diplomatic relations with Syria to protest against the crackdown by the regime of Bashar al-Assad at the beginning of the civil war.
But since 2014, the idea of a restoration of diplomatic relations is timidly advanced in Tunisia. It was, at the time, worn by Nidaa Tounès, the current ruling party. The rise of the threat of armed Islamist groups in Tunisia, whose nationals formed the main foreign contingent of the Islamic State group, with more than 3,000 combatants, hastened a questioning of the choice of rupture in favor of more pragmatic considerations.
In April 2017, President Béji Caïd Essebsi conditioned the resumption of diplomatic relations by improving and stabilizing the situation in Syria. Three months later, a petition seeking to restore the diplomatic relations between the two countries was rejected by the deputies of the Assembly of People's Representatives (APR), for lack of having been able to collect the quorum of 109 votes required.
