Morocco renews reconciliation call on Algeria

Moroccan Prime Minister Abderrahmane Youssoufi renewed a call for Algeria to reopen its land borders, closed since 1994. Morocco's call on "our Algerian brethren" to reopen the borders is still valid, Youssoufi said at a press conference held Wednesday with visiting secretary-general of the Spanish Socialist Labor Party (PSOE/opposition), Joaquin Almunia.

The reopening of borders will help settle "social and human" problems facing the population living in the border areas, Youssoufi said.

Relations between the two Maghreban countries are 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 hotel in Marrakesh (Southern Morocco), killing two Spanish tourists.

Subsequently, Morocco imposed entry visas for Algerians wishing to visit the Kingdom, while Algeria retaliated by closing land borders with Morocco.

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

Morocco deplored Algeria's attachment to handling Moroccan-Algerian relations "in a global approach."