Rabat- Algeria has reportedly rejected a mediation proposal by the United Arab Emirates seeking to ease the ongoing tension between Morocco and Algeria.
Emirati media reported that Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan had contacted Algerian officials last Thursday offering his mediation between the two neighbors.
The relations between Morocco and Algeria have recently witnessed an escalation in the wake of the shooting of a Moroccan citizen by Algerian army elements near the shared border between the two countries last month.
The same source added that the Emirati officials are trying, through the proposal, to "mitigate the severity of the crisis between Algeria and Morocco, and to restore relations to the previous level of stability."
While a number of Algerian officials have denied receiving any Emirati initiative, an Algerian senior official was quoted by Algerian newspaper Al-Watan as saying that "Even if the UAE offers mediation, it will be rejected by Algeria since there are diplomatic traditions. We do not accept mediation to resolve problems between brothers."
The Algerian official added that "Algeria and Morocco are capable of resolving their dispute without the intervention of any external parties."
On the other hand, no official statement from the Moroccan side has been issued on the UAE's initiative at a time when the Moroccan-Algerian relations are living one of their worse chapters.
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