Youssoufi: Reopening Moroccan-Algerian border will speed up normalization

Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi said in Rabat on Friday here that the reopening of the land borders between Morocco and Algeria will contribute to reactivating the normalization process between the two neighboring Maghreban countries.

At a joint news conference held in Paris with French peer Lionel Jospin after wrapping up the second meeting of the Moroccan-French high cooperation commission, Youssoufi renewed a call to Algeria for the reopening of borders and for the launching of a new page in the two countries' relations.

Economic exchange between Morocco and Algeria was badly affected by the closure of land borders, Youssoufi added, affirming that he will not cease calling for the reopening of the borders because, he said, the border areas (eastern Morocco and western Algeria) are suffering due to this situation.

Relations between Morocco and Algeria have been strained due to Algeria's direct involvement in the Sahara issue and after Algerian-born French nationals perpetrated in 1994 a terrorist attack against a luxury hotel in Marrakesh (Southern Morocco) that killed two Spanish tourists.

Morocco imposed afterwards an entry visa for Algerians wishing to visit the Kingdom while Algeria retaliated by closing land borders with Morocco.

Morocco's Socialist premier, Abderrahmane Youssoufi, has launched repeated calls to Algeria to start a new page in relations with Morocco through the opening of the borders.

However, the Moroccan government calls were met with an Algerian adherence to addressing bilateral relations in a "global approach."