President Abdelmadjid Tebboune has defended his government's decision to reinstate the requirement for foreigners holding Moroccan passports to obtain an entry visa for Algeria. The decision was based on «political and security considerations», he said last night in an interview with local media. «There's a twinning, it's not even... between the Zionist entity and the Kingdom of Morocco... it's political... What interests us is the security aspect. We have doubts about the entry of some (Israelis, editor's note) into Algeria with Moroccan passports», Tebboune explained. «Are they spies?» a journalist then asked him. «It's not necessarily... us... And what do they come to you for, whether they're intelligence agents or military services when they go to see the ports of Oran or Mers El Kébir. They come with passports from an Arab country which is not subject to the visa regime. It's a real danger», he retorted. Tebboune also referred back to his government's announcement last September regarding the «arrest of three Moroccan spies». «Some had fled Algeria because they had false Moroccan passports. In this context, the reintroduction of the visa is self-defense», said the Algerian president.
