US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday, March 30, that the impact of the Russian invasion of Ukraine was felt even in the Arab world, with the rise in wheat prices in particular, ending in Algeria, an ally of Moscow, a regional tour.

Arrived from Morocco, the regional rival of Algeria, Antony Blinken spoke in Algiers with his counterpart Ramtane Lamamra before being received by President Abdelmadjid Tebboune.

The head of the American diplomacy had participated in the opening of his regional tour at the beginning of the week in Israel, in a kibbutz in the Negev desert, in an unprecedented meeting with his Israeli counterparts and those of four Arab countries, including Morocco.

Although Algeria, a fervent supporter of the Palestinians, is fiercely hostile to it, Antony Blinken affirmed during a press conference in Algiers that Washington intended "to support this (Israeli-Arab) normalization and encourage other countries to join it".

But his main message was about the war in Ukraine.

"In the case of Ukraine, there is an obvious aggressor and an obvious victim and it is important to stand with the victim," he said as several countries in the region, including Algeria, have refrained from criticizing Russia for fear of compromising their relations with Moscow.

To support his message, the head of American diplomacy affirmed that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had had a direct impact on the region, with the rise in prices that the war caused.

“Rising food prices”

"I think the impact is felt. Even though the conflict is taking place far from the region, in Europe, it has a direct impact on the lives of the people of the region, particularly with the rise in food prices, in particular the wheat," he said.

"I have understood from my discussions with many colleagues in recent days that this pain is acutely felt in this region. Most countries import at least half of their wheat", including Russia and Ukraine are among the main suppliers, he added.

His visit comes as relations between Algeria and Morocco are going through a serious crisis, at the heart of which is the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, which for decades has pitted Rabat against the Sahrawi separatists supported by Algiers.

If he had reiterated in Rabat the American support for the autonomy plan --"serious, credible and realistic"-- presented by Morocco to settle the "dispute", he was careful not to do so in Algiers, in a apparent concern not to offend his guests.

He thus contented himself with affirming that Washington "continues to support the efforts of the UN" and of the personal envoy of the UN Secretary General, Staffan de Mistura.

"There has been no change in our position."

The Biden administration has so far been less eager than the previous one - that of Donald Trump - which promised in December 2020 to open a consulate in Dakhla, Western Sahara, recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over this territory in return for the normalization of relations between Morocco and Israel.

The crisis between the two Maghreb heavyweights culminated with the severance of their diplomatic relations in August 2021 at the initiative of Algiers.

Following this rupture, Algeria closed in October the Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline carrying Algerian gas to Spain and passing through Morocco.

According to press reports, Algeria rejected an American request to increase the flow of gas to Europe by reopening this Maghreb-Europe gas pipeline during a recent visit by the sub- US Secretary of State Windy Sherman in Algiers.

Antony Blinken did not mention this file during his press conference.

With AFP

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