Algeria summons Moroccan ambassador over accusations of supporting Western Sahara separatists

ALGIERS, May 2 (Xinhua) -- Algerian Foreign Ministry on Wednesday summoned Moroccan ambassador to Algiers over Morocco's accusations that Algeria supports a separatist group in Western Sahara.

"Algeria rejects these totally unfounded remarks, made by the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, on the occasion of the announcement of severing diplomatic relations between his country and Iran," Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdelaziz Benali Cherif was quoted as saying by APS news agency.

Cherif said Moroccan Ambassador Abdallah Belkeziz was summoned on Wednesday by the secretary general of Algerian Foreign Ministry, who expressed "Algerian authorities' rejection of such unfounded remarks."

The Moroccan Foreign Ministry on Tuesday announced severing diplomatic ties with Iran to protest against alleged Tehran's support for the Western Sahara independence movement, the Polisario Front.

Rabat indicated that Algeria has helped Iran and its Lebanese Shiite ally, Hezbollah, train and arm Polisario fighters via the Iranian embassy in Algiers.

The ties between Algiers and Rabat have been tense for decades. Their border has been closed since 1994 after Rabat started imposing visa entry on Algerian nationals, following a bomb attack in Marrakesh, which Morocco blamed on Algeria.

They have also a disagreement over the issue of Western Sahara. Algiers supports self-determination for the Sahrawi people there, while Rabat insists that Western Sahara is part of Morocco territories. Enditem