youtube / US Department of State
The US Assistant Secretary of State for Middle East Affairs, David Schenker, denied news reported in Moroccan and Algerian newspapers about the US intention to establish a base in the Sahara region.
Commenting on the news about moving the African headquarters of the American armed forces “AFRICOM” to the Sahara, Schenker said during a press conference held today, Thursday, at the headquarters of the US Embassy in Algeria, “I have seen the articles in the Moroccan and Algerian newspapers, which are incorrect.”
And the American official continued, according to Algerian media, “I cannot decide the issue regarding the Sahara issue, and America has no plan to establish a base in Western Sahara.”
In response to a question about the possibility of the US President-elect Joe Biden’s administration reversing the decision of the current president, Donald Trump, regarding the recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, Schenker responded: “I cannot talk about this decision, I was appointed to work in a position under the supervision of the Secretary of State ( Mike (Pompeo). Each administration has the power to set foreign policy and define its initiatives. What I can say is that the United States still believes that political negotiations are capable, and only political negotiations are able to solve the issues between Morocco and the Polisario. “
And a few days ago, the Moroccan Prime Minister, Saad Eddine El Othmani, denied that there was any intention to establish an American military base in the desert, in refutation of what some media said.
On December 10, US President Donald Trump announced that Morocco and Israel had reached an agreement to normalize relations between them.
On the same day, Trump announced his country’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara region, and the opening of a US consulate in the disputed territory between Rabat and the “Polisario Front,” backed by Algeria.
Source: “An-Nahar” + “Al-Shorouk”
Source link