Rehabi: “Mauritania allied with regional powers at the expense of Algeria”

Former Algerian Minister and diplomat, Abdelaziz Rehabi, sheds light on the ins and outs of the current diplomatic wrangle between Algeria and Mauritania, following the baffling expulsion earlier this week of the first Chancellor of the Algerian embassy in Nouakchott, Belkacem Cherouati, prompting a swift response from the Algerian side which similarly expelled one of the Mauritanian diplomats from Algeria dubbing him as “persona non grata”.

The former Algerian Ambassador in Spain explained in this exclusive interview granted to “Echorouk” that Mauritania had covertly allied with some regional forces but with the expulsion of the Algerian diplomat in such an improper way, it has ostensibly opted to enter into crisis with Algeria.

How do you assess Algeria’s response to the unexpected expulsion of one of its diplomats from Nouakchott?

“Algeria’s speedy reaction was widely expected, because whatever the pretext invoked by the Mauritanians in the Algerian diplomat’s improper expulsion, the Mauritanian authorities have clearly chosen the option to enter into crisis with the Algerian side”.

“The Mauritanian decision falls short of the Algerian-Mauritanian relations, because it is inconceivable that a neighbouring State decides to expel diplomats similarly as Belkacem Cherouati was ordered out of Mauritania in such an unacceptable manner”.

“I think that the expulsion move was intentional and meant to steep Mauritania into a diplomatic crisis, possibly by a pressure group within the Mauritanian Government and which is subservient to regional and international vested interests”.

“The Mauritanian authorities should have instead by virtue of diplomatic custom and ethics, summoned the Algerian Ambassador in Nouakchott, and informed him in detail of the problem and may be requesting the diplomat’s expulsion, but unfortunately they opted for unacceptable and unethical practices by “fabricating” the charges against the expelled Algerian diplomat”, he underscored.

“This is not acceptable and contradicts the diplomatic norms and does not  live up to a genuine relationship of trust and confidence with a neighbouring State”, Mr Rehabi asserted.

What is the future of the bilateral relations between the two countries?

“Algerian-Mauritanian relations have been fragile since President Abdelaziz Bouteflika came to power, and after 6 months of Bouteflika’s election in 1999, Mauritania established comprehensive diplomatic relations “in October 1999” with Israel, with the exchanging of visits and the opening of embassies in both Nouakchott and Tel Aviv”.

“In so doing, Mauritania became the third Arab country after Egypt and Jordan to have established full diplomatic relations with Israel, and such a move could be clearly construed as a submission to European and American pressures”. So, what could we expect from such deleterious relationships”?

“The second problem is that Mauritania has been involved in recent years in the so-called “Group of Five”, made up of Mauritania itself, Niger, Chad, Burkina Fasso and Mali. This group has endeavoured to work out a geo-political strategy of its own parallel to the active Algerian policy in the whole region.

However, this group’s newly-devised strategy largely yields to France’s overall policy-line in the region, which strenuously seeks to involve Morocco by giving the latter a significant role in this regional file”.

What are Algeria’s diplomatic expectations in the near future?

“Algeria did not expect this contrived hostility from a neighbouring country especially in view of the current disquieting regional situation, which is unsuitable for either Algeria or Mauritania.

So after this untoward development, Algeria is expected to review, to say the least, its foreign relations with Mauritania, and to take well into account this irresponsible and unfriendly move from the Mauritanian side”.