UN distorted remarks about Western Sahara are serious

Algeria’s foreign minister Abdelkader Messahel Sunday said erroneous reports released by the United Nations Secretariat’s news centre are a “serious unprecedented event.” An investigation is conducted by the UN organization.

Messahel said “Syria’s normal place is the Arab League.”

Speaking about the “UN press centre scandal,” the minister said what happened is a “serious unprecedented event which hits the UN’s credibility.”

This comes as the press centre released false statements of petitioners in favor of Morocco regarding the Western Sahara issue.

Messahel told journalists “it is weird and inacceptable.” 

“The UN Secretariat apologized to Algeria and an investigation is conducted. We are waiting for the results,” he added.

The Polisario Front’s representative at the UN Ahmed Boukhari had accused Moroccan intelligence of being behind the incident.

Speaking about the Syrian crisis, Messahel said Damascus should come back to the Arab League.

“Since Syria’s membership of the Arab League was frozen, there have been only two countries which did not support this approach. For clear reasons, we do not interfere in others’ affairs,” he added.

“It is not about an issue of regimes but an issue of nations. Syria is a nation of history and played a historic role. I made this statement at the Arab League and before Syria’s membership had been frozen. Now, things have changed and Syria defeated terrorism,” he also said.

The minister denied information about blocking Algerian visas. “Algeria is a safe country. It ranked sixth in terms of safety and stability. How can we believe that we reject visa applications? I asked the tourism minister to conduct an investigation in this regard.”