Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita is currently touring a number of European capitals to explain to his interlocutors the latest developments of the Sahara issue, following the incursions of the Algeria-backed Polisario in the buffer zone, east of the Moroccan defense berm. Talks between the Moroccan and German officials will cover bilateral cooperation, relationship between Morocco and the European Union and Morocco’s territorial integrity. Germany, which has friendly relations with Morocco, will join the UN Security Council in 2019 as a non-permanent member. A Moroccan governmental source told local media that the Foreign Minister is not planning to meet the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara, German Horst Kohler, whose offices are based in Berlin. Bourita’s tour is taking place against the backdrop of the Polisario’s latest provocative acts in the Moroccan Sahara, as the separatist front deployed armed elements in demilitarized areas, including, in Mahbes, Tifariti and Bir Lahlou, to the east of the Moroccan defense berm.

Source: The North Africa Journal April 11, 2018 18:22 UTC