Will there be a meeting between King Mohammed VI and Joe Biden?
Journalist Barak Ravid revealed exclusively to Axios that Israel plans to organise a sequel to the Negev summit between the Abraham Accords allies to take advantage of Joe Biden's visit to the MENA region in June 2022. It would be Biden's first trip to the Middle East as president.
As Ravid was able to report for Axios, the Israeli authorities intend to bring together heads of state instead of foreign ministers at this future summit, and to bring together these MENA players in a meeting with US President Joe Biden. In this case, and in the event that King Mohammed VI of Morocco comes to Israel, accompanied by his government, the Moroccan monarch could then meet Joe Biden for the first time in his presidential term.
Biden and Mohammed VI already met in 2014 when the American visited Morocco as Barack Obama's vice-president. This time it would be as president, which would give Morocco an opportunity to solidify US support for its Sahara proposal. Following the change in the US presidency, the new administration did not reverse Trump's progress on Morocco's Sahara proposal, but neither did it provide further support.
Morocco is playing high cards and is aiming for ambitious moves in meetings with its partners in the Abraham Accords. At the end of the summit in the Negev desert, Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita expressed his desire to hold the next summit "in another desert", referring to the Sahara, and invited his partners to Morocco.
The hypothesis was put forward by journalist Kenza Filali in an article for the Moroccan digital newspaper Le Desk, but it would not be easy to realise. First, there will be difficulties on the Israeli side in holding the summit. According to Axios, Biden plans to be on the ground for 24 to 36 hours, which leaves very little time to organise an event like the one in the Negev. However, it would not be for lack of need. The United States, which in its new foreign policy pays less and less attention to the Middle East and delegates more to its regional partners, should make a strong presence in order not to lose its points of reference in the region. Meeting with the region's main actors at the same event could send this message, which countries such as the United Arab Emirates are calling for.
On the other hand, Morocco has not given any confirmation or details about the possibility of holding another meeting with its Arab and Israeli partners. In addition, King Mohammed VI's travels have become rare and infrequent since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic.
Americas Coordinator: José Antonio Sierra