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Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a groundbreaking ceremony

for the new U.S. Embassy in Rabat, Algeria, with Morocco Foreign

Minister Saad Eddine Othmani (left) and Rabat Mayor Fathallah

Oualalou. But in an apparent move to placate Morocco's king,

there were no pictures of Clinton with representatives of

Morocco's pro-democracy movement.

 

 

Le Quotidien d’Oran, Algeria

Hillary: 'Hide the February 20 Movement from Me'

 

"If she had received them, Clinton would have been exposed to a view of the situation in Morocco that contradicts the one developed by the U.S. administration, which is given to understand that the Kingdom is successfully implementing democratic change. .. This deviation from the official program was also likely made to avoid annoying the royal palace, for whom the February 20 Movement is a bête noire [black beast]."

 

By Kharroubi Habib

 

Translated By Jill Naeem

 

February 27, 2012

 

Algeria - Le Quotidien d’Oran - Original Article (French)

Secretary Clinton meets with people described as 'members of Algerian civil society.' Unfortunately, few observers knoew who they were - even the local press.

U.S. STATE DEPARTMENT VIDEO: In Morocco, Secretary of States Hillary Clinton calls on Syria's military and businesses to stop supporting the Assad regime's campaign of violence, Feb. 26, 00:01:00RealVideo

During an official program of visits to Algiers and Rabat, U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was expected to meet representatives of Algerian and Moroccan civil society.

 

In Algiers, Clinton actually met with a group of citizens whom she introduced to the press as representatives of Algerian civil society. But in Rabat, she refrained from this type of meeting, and neither members of her delegation nor the U.S. Embassy in Morocco explained why she deviated from her official program. It seems that America's traveling saleswoman and representative of global democracy was unable to offer a motive for not meeting with Moroccan representatives of civil society. Such a meeting by the secretary in Rabat would have been inconceivable without the presence of interlocutors from the February 20 Movement - the cause of citizen protests that forced the Moroccan monarch to grant political reforms.

 

If she had received them, Clinton would have been exposed to a view of the situation in Morocco that contradicts the one developed by the U.S. administration, which is given to understand that the Kingdom is successfully implementing democratic change and reform of the monarchy, and that parliamentary elections will follow in their wake. It appears to us that in adopting this stance, the U.S. secretary of state judged that a meeting was unnecessary, since in the absence of representatives from the February 20 Movement, it would lack credibility in the eyes of the Moroccan public.

 

It aapears that this deviation from the official program was made to avoid annoying the royal palace, for whom the February 20 Movement is a bête noire [black beast]. This is more than likely, as Hillary Clinton could hardly have been unaware that it would have displeased the royals if she had invited opponents who are committed to the reforms granted by the royal palace to meet her during her visit to Rabat. For in the event that she had decided to keep her meeting, Mohammed VI had planned to absent himself from the kingdom during her stay. 

 

What one needs to remember here is that when it comes to Morocco, Washington wears kid gloves and is concerned about the sensibilities of the monarch. In Algiers, Hillary Clinton took a different tack, knowing that the Algerian authorities would be “allergic” to whatever their foreign guests uncovered by speaking to other parties.  

Posted by WORLDMEETS.US

 

The strangest thing about her visit to Algiers is that the people introduced by Mrs. Clinton as representatives of Algerian civil society were unknown beforehand, even to the national press. Of course the American side would reject any accusation of meddling laid against them following this baptism. But that wouldn't invalidate the charge.

 

 

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People's Daily, China: Give 'Peace a Chance' in Syria
Mehr News Agency, Iran: Supreme Leader Says U.S. Takes Revenge on Syria
Jerusalem Post, Israel: Obama's 'Rhetorical Storm'
Debka File, Israel: First Foreign Troops in Syria Back the Rebels
Zaman, Turkey: U.S. May Be Hiding Behind Russia's U.N. Veto

 

 

Clinton’s visit to Algiers was officially sold as an indication both of the positive climate of Algerian-American relations and Washington's support for the process of political reform in Algeria. But this hasn't masked the reality that the Algerian government is mistrusted and under close American surveillance. To the degree that the United States has decided to close its eyes to the inconsistencies of reform in Morocco, it may as well be voting for the protests the Algerian authorities allow - even if they are initiated by forces with little influence in Algerian society.

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[Posted by WORLDMEETS.US March. 3, 6:09pm]

 

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