Assahafa.com
Moroccan diplomatic sources have responded firmly to false Algerian allegations, claiming that Moroccan authorities have confiscated Algerian diplomatic buildings in Rabat.
The Moroccan clarification was presented as follows:
1. The premises of the Chancellery and the Residence of the former Algerian embassy in Rabat are not affected by any procedure.
Indeed, the Chancellery and the Residence of the former Algerian Embassy in Rabat – and whose land was by the way offered free of charge by the Moroccan authorities, were not the subject of any “confiscation “. These premises remain respected and protected by the Moroccan state, even in the context of the unilateral severance of diplomatic relations by Algeria.
2. Only one building was the subject of discussions with the Algerian authorities, in this case an unused premises, immediately adjoining the headquarters of the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, knowing that the enlargement operation concerned, during recent years, several diplomatic buildings, notably those of Côte d’Ivoire and Switzerland.
3. On this one and only case, the Algerian authorities have been, for more than two years, closely involved and duly informed upstream and at all stages, in full transparency. Negotiations with the Algerian side began in January 2022, after the Moroccan MAE officially and on several occasions informed the Algerian authorities of the Moroccan State’s wish to acquire the said premises, amicably. Several official exchanges had followed since then.
4. In two of their writings, the Algerian authorities responded to the Moroccan offer by indicating that a “state evaluation of these properties is underway and that the Algerian side will communicate its conclusions as soon as it is finalized”, before adding that “the release of the premises and the removal of its contents will be done in accordance with diplomatic practices once the sale operation has been duly completed.”
In another writing, the Algerian authorities also informed that they “have decided to initiate an expropriation procedure for reasons of public utility of certain properties in the area near the People’s Palace in Algiers, and consequently to regain possession of the residence of the moroccan ambassador.
5 . Contrary to the approximations contained in the press release from the Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Morocco fully assumes its responsibilities and obligations arising from the 1961 Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations. Even if diplomatic relations were severed by unilateral decision taken by Algeria on August 24, 2021, Morocco assumes its responsibilities and complies with its duties arising from diplomatic rules and customs. As a result, the properties of the Algerian State which no longer accommodate diplomatic or consular premises and no longer enjoy the privileges and immunities provided for by international law, remain respected and protected by Moroccan law, under the general conditions applicable to the property law in Morocco.
6 . Morocco has never been in a logic of escalation or provocation. The Kingdom has always worked to preserve a relationship of good neighborliness between the two countries and brotherhood between the two peoples.
Since then, the procedure concerning the Algerian premises in Rabat, subject of the aforementioned official exchanges, have come to a standstill.
