Belani Refutes Marzouki’s Claims on UMA Paralysis
Former Algerian Ambassador and Secretary-General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Amar Belani, has publicly refuted statements made by former Tunisian President Moncef Marzouki in an interview with Al-Quds Al-Arabi newspaper. Belani criticized Marzouki's approach as simplifying historical events and presenting narratives inconsistent with the historical sequence in the Maghreb region. Belani stated that Marzouki's positions regarding Algeria align with what he described as the “Moroccan narrative” and accused him of relying on “misleading and clearly false claims,” calling for Marzouki's statements to be interpreted in light of his ties to Morocco, which he reportedly considers his “second country,” where he grew up and was educated.
Belani rejected Marzouki's assertion that Algeria was responsible for the “clinical death” of the Arab Maghreb Union (UMA). He clarified that historical facts indicate Morocco's responsibility for freezing the Union's institutions. According to Belani, Morocco's Foreign Minister, Abdellatif Filali, formally requested on December 20, 1995, that Algeria, then holding the Union's presidency, “freeze the activities and institutions of the Union.” This decision, Belani stated, rendered the UMA a limited institutional structure. Regarding the closure of land borders between Algeria and Morocco, Belani pointed to August 1994, when Morocco imposed a visa regime on Algerian citizens following an attack on the Atlas Asni hotel in Marrakech. He detailed that this measure, which also affected French-Algerian dual nationals, led to what he described as expulsions and discriminatory treatment of Algerians in Morocco, prompting Algeria's decision in September 1994 to close its land borders in response to these actions and prior accusations.
Belani also addressed attempts to convene an Arab Maghreb Union summit in 2012, noting that Marzouki had acted at the behest of the King of Morocco concerning this initiative. Belani indicated that the proposed summit lacked serious preparation or a substantive agenda, aiming instead for a mere protocolary meeting. He revealed that this initiative, as he assessed it, included a proposal to grant Algeria access to the Atlantic Ocean in exchange for its acceptance of the Moroccan autonomy plan for Western Sahara. Algeria, as stated by Belani, rejected this, considering it a geopolitical bargain of a political and principled issue. Algeria maintained that the UMA should be rebuilt on a foundation of economic integration, shared infrastructure, and investment in the five countries' economic potential, separate from the Western Sahara issue, which Algeria insists must be resolved within the UN framework for self-determination. Belani further rejected the description of Sahrawi refugees in Tindouf camps as “detainees,” affirming this description aligns with official Moroccan discourse and overlooks the historical circumstances of their displacement after 1975.
Belani concluded by denying that Algeria had ever requested access to the Atlantic Ocean, viewing this idea as an attempt to imply Algeria would trade its stance on Western Sahara for economic or geographical gains. He affirmed Algeria's consistent position on the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination since its independence, grounded in UN Charter principles and the 1975 International Court of Justice advisory opinion. He also dismissed Marzouki's mediation offer regarding Western Sahara and border reopening, stating that Algeria deemed it unnecessary as direct communication channels between the countries were already open, and suggested Marzouki's intervention contributed to the failure of prior Algerian-Moroccan talks.
