By Mohmmed Ouhemmou
Casablanca – The Secretary-General of the Independence Party, Hamid Chabat, has issued a formal apology for the Mauritanian state and its people for his latest statement concerning the Mauritanian territory.
The formal apology, which was published on this Thursday edition of the dialy Al Alam, the official newspaper of the Istiqlal party states that “It was necessary to apologize to the Mauritanian people for the misunderstanding that resulted from the statements of the Secretary-General of the Independence Party.”
The Secretary-General and the leaders of the party apologized to the Mauritanian president, the government and people and reiterated that the statement of Secretary-General of the party was “only about one specific historic context.”
“The position of the Independence Party toward Mauritania is exactly as what was confirmed to be by His Majesty during his last phone conversation with Mauritanian President Mohamed Abdel Aziz.”
The “explanatory statement,” published on behalf of the Istiqlal Party, reaffirms that the “extraordinarily fraternal relationship between the Moroccan and Mauritanian people can survive any turbulence.”
Chabat ignited controversy by claiming that Mauritania belongs to the Moroccan territory, and that “Morocco’s borders extend from Ceuta in the north to the Senegal river in the south.”
The Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement on Monday night in which it rejected Chabat’s statement, saying it “undermines relations with a brotherly neighboring country and shows a real ignorance of the Moroccan diplomatic orientations, laid by the King, and which advocate good neighborliness, solidarity and cooperation with the sister nation of Mauritania.”
On Tuesday, King Mohammed VI held a telephone meeting with Mauritanian President Mohamed Oueld Abdelaziz and decided to send Head of the Government, Abdelilah Benkirane, to meet with the Mauritanian President in Naoukchot.
Edited by Connie Guindon
