Latest from El Chorouk
El Chorouk
03-08-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
The European Union Imposes New Measures On The 'Schengen' Visa
The Embassy of the European Union Delegation in Algeria published a post on its social media platform 'Facebook' about the mandatory submission of visa applications to enter the European 'Schengen' area at the consulate of the country that is the destination of the trip. This post caused many questions about its background and objectives. The post, addressed to visa applicants for the 'Schengen' area, stated: 'You must submit your Schengen visa application to the consulate of the Member State that is the sole or main destination of your trip or trips for multiple entry visa applications.' The EU Embassy did not provide additional details about the new procedure, which further intensified the questions. The content of the post contradicts what was previously common regarding visa applications to visit the 'Schengen' area, where it was previously possible for a visa applicant to obtain it from any European country, but this country, the visa issuer, would not necessarily be their sole destination when traveling. They might land in another Member State of the 'Schengen' area that did not grant the visa. However, the generalized post by the EU delegation in Algeria last weekend presented new procedures and placed them under the category of obligation, using the phrase 'You must submit your Schengen visa application to the consulate of the Member State that is the sole or main destination of your trip.' This means that, since the generalization of this post, a visa applicant who obtained a visa from the consulate of a certain European country can no longer land in another European country within the 'Schengen' area that was not the source of the visa they hold. According to a source following the procedure, this concerns new measures approved by the European Union as part of its efforts to control the problem of illegal immigration. It focuses particularly on monitoring the entry, exit, and duration of stay on European territory for individuals visiting EU Member States, providing all 27 EU member countries with all information related to non-EU individuals. According to a document reviewed by 'Echourouk,' this concerns the Entry/Exit System (EES) and the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which are automated computer systems for recording and monitoring the personal data of citizens from non-EU countries who cross the external borders of the 'Schengen' area. These European initiatives are part of a set of measures aimed at improving the management of the external borders of the Member States in the 'Schengen' area. These future automated systems aim to improve the efficiency and reliability of inspections at the external borders of the 'Schengen' area by enabling Member States and relevant EU agencies to ensure better information exchange to combat cross-border crime and terrorism and enable more effective border management, while strictly complying with fundamental rights and European legislation on personal data protection. According to the same document, the new measures aim to replace manual passport stamping with an electronic system, a procedure that would allow electronic control of entry and exit operations, refusal of entry, and the duration of stay for non-EU citizens who cross the external borders of the 'Schengen' area for a short stay, with a maximum of 90 days out of a total period of 180 days. The new procedure focuses on collecting the traveler's personal data and some other information, such as the date and time of entry and exit, the place of entry and exit, the citizen's first and last name, the citizen's passport number, the person's (traveler's) photo, their fingerprints, and the potential decision to refuse entry for a short stay.
El Chorouk
03-08-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Polisario Front's Conditions For Direct Negotiations With Morocco
The Polisario Front is 'fully ready' to enter into direct negotiations with Morocco, 'under the auspices of the United Nations, which should be serious and credible, without dictates or preconditions, to reach a just and consensual solution that respects the requirements of international law and the legal nature of Western Sahara as a decolonisation issue,' the Prime Minister of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR), Bouchraya Hammoudi Bayoun, said. In his address at the opening of the 13th Summer University for the Polisario Front executives, held Sunday at M'hamed Bouguerra University in Boumerdes (eastern Algiers), the Prime Minister added that 'the only solution to the Western Sahara issue is a democratic solution consistent with international law, which recognizes the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination and independence and does not recognize Morocco's sovereignty over Western Sahara.' Regarding the summer university, the Sahrawi spokesperson explained that it 'is being held amid profound international changes that, in one way or another, are affecting the course of the Sahrawi people's struggle. These include the Moroccan occupying state's resort to dangerous international alliances, such as its alliance with the Zionist entity and its attempt to lure consular representation from some mercenary countries to the cities of occupied Western Sahara, thereby threatening peace and security in the region.' He considered this event 'a broad intellectual space that develops the knowledge of the cadres and a testament to the sincerity of the fraternal alliance between the Algerian and Sahrawi peoples.' For his part, the President of the Algerian National Committee for Solidarity with the Sahrawi People (CNASPS), Said Ayachi, said that 'the desired victory for the Sahrawi cause can only be achieved through steadfastness and the combined efforts of all those who support the cause,' noting that international law 'is clear regarding the justice of the Sahrawi cause and the right to hold a self-determination referendum.' In turn, many participants in this event, held under the slogan 'Struggle and Sacrifice to Impose Independence and Freedom,' agreed on the importance of standing by the Sahrawi people and supporting them in their quest for freedom and independence. They also emphasised the importance of appreciating international positions supporting the just Sahrawi cause.
El Chorouk
02-08-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
The 2006 Scandal: Moroccan Regime's Relationship With the Zionist Entity
The well-known Belgian politician and journalist, Claude Moniquet, revealed a scandal in which Mohamed Yacine Mansouri, head of the Moroccan External Intelligence Service (DGED), visited Israel in 2006 to attend high-level meetings with the Israeli intelligence agency, Mossad. Moniquet asserted that relations between the Moroccan regime and Israel were not the result of the normalisation agreement that took place before the world's eyes in December 2020, but rather date back decades. Claude Moniquet is not just a journalist. He is a politician, the former leader of the Belgian 'LiDem' party, and has worked for numerous French media, most notably the weekly 'L'Express.' He is also a former agent of the French Directorate-General for External Security (DGSE), and has connections with Moroccan intelligence, which lends his confessions a remarkable degree of credibility. In a post on his X account, Claude Moniquet wrote: 'I learned from a reliable Israeli source that during the 33-day war between Israel and Hezbollah (in July 2006), Mehdi Hajaouy personally organized a trip for Yacine Mansouri (the head of the Moroccan foreign intelligence service) to Israel to attend high-level meetings with the Mossad and a visit the front line on the northern border', with Lebanon. This testimony brought considerable trouble to the double agent of both French and Moroccan intelligence, evident in the campaign he was subjected to, which he blamed on the Moroccan regime's thugs. They attempted to brand him as working for Algeria, an allegation he vehemently denied. He recalled his past in a second post on X, reaffirming his unwavering positions: '… Let my few critics know that I am not 'paid by Algeria,' but rather continue to support the Kingdom of Morocco, among other things, in the Western Sahara issue…' The Belgian politician's testimony, which sparked considerable controversy in the Alawite kingdom and its supportive lobbies in Europe, came in the context of his publication of confidential information about the second-in-command of the Moroccan foreign intelligence service, Mehdi Hajaoui, who fled Morocco months ago. This information also comes amidst the media campaign against him. Claude Moniquet said, 'The Moroccan 'judiciary' allegedly accuses Mehdi Hajaoui of various 'criminal acts,' but his French lawyers, William Bourdon and Vincent Brengarth, were able to a 'strictly political procedure supported by judicial setup…', and considered the allegations against the man to be mere false allegations designed to discredit Hajaoui. The Moroccan intelligence agent denied all the articles covering the Mehdi Hajaoui case, which claimed that he never held any strategic position in Moroccan intelligence. He added: 'I can provide personal testimony highlighting the extent to which the claims spread (obviously on orders) by the Moroccan media are unfounded. Between 2005 and 2014… I had regular contact with Mehdi Hijaouy, son of a now-deceased general who was close to King Hassan II. He was then chief of staff of Yacine Mansouri, the head of the DGED (Moroccan General Directorate of External Documentation). 'On two occasions, Hijaouy organised triangular meetings (Mansouri, Hijaouy and me), in Mr. Mansouri's own office. At the same time, after the London attacks (July 2025), Hijaouy organised a meeting for me dedicated to jihadist groups (among others al-Qaeda) in the Maghreb', Moniquet added. He explained that 'the meeting took place at the DGED headquarters, and was attended by officials from various departments of the service. Mehdi Hijaouy chaired the discussions. He subsequently organised other meetings: with Army Corps General Benani, who then commanded the 'southern zone', with Fouad Ali Himma (currently the Moroccan king's advisor)… among others at the 'La Tour Hassan' hotel in Rabat, then Secretary of State for the Interior and very close to King Mohammed VI and with other important security officials'. Claude Moniquet also confirmed that, 'finally, at other times, I was able to personally verify with contacts in the French and Israeli intelligence communities that Mehdi Hijaouy was extremely appreciated there and was an important vector of security cooperation between Rabat and Paris on the one hand and Rabat and Tel Aviv on the other', this enabled him to arrange a visit by Mohamed Yacine Mansouri, head of the Moroccan External Intelligence Service (DGED), to the Zionist entity in 2006, to attend high-level meetings with the Zionist intelligence agency, Mossad. Moniquet point out that Mehdi Hijaouy was the first DGED officer to benefit (in September 2000) from anti-terrorist training organised by the Zionist intelligence services. He believes that 'the revelations of the Moroccan press put into perspective, allow me simply, in conclusion, to regret that questions of personal rivalries and jealousy push a large service like the DGED to engage in such a settling of scores which can only harm its image, the security of Morocco, the relations between the DGED and the allied services and the morale of its officers who can now fear being abandoned and publicly exposed from one day to the next'.
El Chorouk
01-08-2025
- Politics
- El Chorouk
Spanish Party: Morocco Uses Irregular Migrants For Political Blackmail
The Spanish Vox party accused Morocco of using migration as a political bargaining card by 'turning a blind eye' to illegal migrants, allowing hundreds of minors to gather at the border to swim across, and obstructing their expulsion. Following the increased migration pressure in Ceuta, on the Spanish enclave's borders, Juan Sergio Redondo, the party's president in the city, warned in a statement that 'this is due to Morocco's implementation of its roadmap with impunity and its continued disregard for border and maritime control.' He emphasised that 'this situation is not spontaneous, but rather the result of the usual passivity of the Moroccan authorities, which have allowed dozens of minors to gather in the Tarajal area over the past few days without deploying any kind of containment or monitoring mechanism.' The spokesperson noted that 'it is important to emphasise that Morocco is fully aware that Ceuta is under pressure,' yet it 'insists on increasing the pressure, ignoring its obligations to control the border and even allowing uncontrolled flows of minors leaving various Moroccan cities inland towards the Ceuta border, roaming throughout the country with complete impunity.' He emphasised that all of this is happening 'without the Moroccan authorities making any significant effort to prevent it, thus violating their obligations to protect minors.' He added that the Vox party has repeatedly warned that this situation 'is not a coincidence or a seasonal phenomenon, but rather a carefully considered strategy by Moroccans aimed at pressurising the Spanish state.' In light of this situation, the Spanish party official stressed the need to 'urgently reform national legislation to allow for more flexible procedures for the return of these minors to Morocco, which must protect them as Moroccan citizens under the age of 18.' He also emphasised that 'no matter how hard the Spanish authorities try to limit this problem to a purely migration issue and grant Morocco the status of a valid interlocutor or reliable partner in resolving it, the problem will continue to escalate indefinitely.'
El Chorouk
30-07-2025
- Business
- El Chorouk
Paris Seeks Alternative Diplomatic Ways With Algeria
The French authorities have resorted to alternative diplomacy to preserve their remaining interests in Algeria, which have suffered unprecedented damage since the outbreak of the crisis between the two countries following France's shift in position on the Sahara issue, resulting in a decline in diplomatic representation to the level of chargé d'affaires. This refers to parliamentary activity, which is considered complementary and sometimes transforms, as in the current situation between Algeria and Paris, into an alternative diplomacy, given the severing of official ties. This was embodied by the visit of the French Senator Akli Mellouli and National Assembly MP, Sabrina Sebaihi, to Algeria. Akli Mellouli serves as Vice-Chair of the Foreign Affairs and Armed Forces Committee in the upper house of the French Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Algerian-French Friendship Group. MP Sabrina Sebaihi is a member of the Foreign Affairs Committee in the lower house of the French Parliament and Vice-Chair of the Algerian-French Friendship Group. The two parliamentarians were received by Michel Bisac, President of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at the French Embassy in Algeria. In a post on his LinkedIn account on Wednesday, July 23, 2025, the CCIF President welcomed his guests and spoke of a 'useful and constructive exchange with member business leaders on prospects for developing and strengthening economic relations between the two countries.' Both Akli Mellouli and Sabrina Sebaihi are considered moderate political voices in France. They advocate for respecting Algeria and maintaining stable relations with it, to preserve bridges of communication and safeguard the intertwined social ties between the two shores of the Mediterranean. The visit of the French elected officials comes at a time of great complexity in relations between Algeria and Paris, which have been ongoing for exactly a year, following weeks of renewed political and media controversy between the two countries. The latest was the escalating measures announced by the French Foreign Ministry regarding diplomatic portfolios, a measure to which Algeria responded with another measure based on the principle of reciprocity established in diplomatic norms. This is not the first time French politicians have resorted to this approach in an attempt to de-escalate tensions with Algeria and preserve, as much as possible, Paris's economic and cultural interests in Algeria. However, these attempts have so far failed miserably, due to the depth of the crisis that has shaken relations between the two capitals. More than two weeks ago, Sébastien Delogu, MP representing the La France Insoumise party, visited Algeria. His political stance, which called on the far right to avoid harming bilateral relations to preserve Paris' interests, led to a racist campaign by those political circles. Upon his return to Paris, he denounced the campaign in a post on X. MP Sébastien Delogu wrote: 'In line with the unprecedented attacks launched by the right and the far right to create conflict in French-Algerian relations, I was immediately attacked, to exploit my visit (to Algeria), ridiculing me, and distorting my presence there.' He emphasized that 'the shared memory between us and the Algerian people must prompt us to envision a future based on the principles of respect, equality, and brotherhood between our peoples.' The French parliamentarians' visit to Algeria is not expected to help calm the escalating tensions between the two countries. This is because the decision-making power in the French state is no longer controlled by the Elysée Palace, as it is supposed to be, but by unconstitutional forces surrounding it. This is what Bruno Retailleau, Interior Minister in François Bayrou's government, is keen to implement. As is known, he has caused a new diplomatic crisis, about which the Quai d'Orsay Palace said that it was not consulted, in a caricatured scene that sums up the situation that a country like France has reached.
