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Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita has said Spain will only aggravate tension with Rabat if it allows Polisario leader Brahim Ghali to leave its territories.
Ghali entered Spain secretly through a fake identity in April after he tested positive for COVID-19. Spain’s decision to host the Polisario chief angered Morocco, who has called on Spain to shoulder its responsibility and provide convincing clarifications for a decision that contradicts the spirits of bilateral ties linking the two countries.
The Spanish government maintained that the decision to host Ghali was not to stir tension but was rather a “humanitarian gesture.”
Ghali faces multiple charges, including genocide, rape, torture, and kidnapping,. The complainants include Spaniards, victims of the alleged crimes committed by Ghali and other Polisario leaders.
Bourita told Europe 1 Sunday that Spain did neither consult the European Union before making a decision to host Ghali under a false identity
Ghali is hospitalized in a hospital in Spain under the name of Mohamed Ben Batouch.
“Madrid has created a crisis and wants Europe to assume it,” he said.
Amid the grave diplomatic crisis affecting the bilateral relations, more than 8,000 would-be immigrants crossed from northern Morocco to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta on Monday night.
Morocco has always laid territorial claims to Ceuta and Melilla, which it regards as part of its territory and antagonistic legacy of Spanish colonialism in North Africa.
The unprecedented massive entry of immigrants caused stupor and anger in Spain. The Spanish government and the majority of political parties, and the media have closed ranks, denouncing Morocco’s blackmail and its use of the migration card to achieve diplomatic gains.
Bourita said the situation is a migratory crisis born due to a political crisis between two partners.
“For me, it is above all a migration crisis born of a political crisis between two partners. A crisis for which Spain is responsible,” he noted.
Bourita debunked Laya’s claims that contact between the two countries remain fluid. He said since the onset of the crisis, there has been no contact between the two officials.
Addressing Spain’s media attempt to set a narrative that blames Morocco for failing to control its borders, he said “Morocco has no obligation to act. Morocco is neither Europe’s gendarme, nor its janitor.”
Bourita also emphasized Morocco’s role in tackling the migration crisis.
Morocco dismantled 8,000 human trafficking cells, 14,000 irregular migration attempts, including 80 operation in Ceuta in the past four years.
Debunking the widespread claim that the EU provides enough money for Morocco to tackle the immigration phenomenon, the Moroccan official said that the 300 million euros that the EU provides annually barely cover 20 percent of the costs assumed by Morocco.
Bourita said that the country’s security services help Spain and other European countries tackle migratory issues not out of obligation, but out of respect for the partnership between Morocco and the EU.
He stressed that a partnership is not a one-way street, but a contract that binds two parties where each party has a clear understanding of and respect for the strategic interests of its partner, rather than a selective or a la carte use of this partnership.
“However, one cannot plot at night against a partner, and ask him the next day to be loyal,” he argued.
Bourita emphasized that the situation in Ceuta does not change the relations between Morocco and the European Union.
He explained that the problem between Morocco and Spain is an issue of “trust” and a “hostile attitude” from the Spanish neighbor.
“It is up to them to find the solution,” Bourita said, warning that if Spain is planning to help Ghali leave its territories [illegally] then this will lead to more tension or even a rupture of ties between Rabat and Madrid.
In a statement he made earlier this week, Bourita said Morocco does not need to be graded by Spain or its media.
He said that Morocco does 99 percent of the work to tackle migration issues, emphasizing that the EU does not give even 20 percent of the cost.
Spanish Foreign Minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said earlier today that Ghali will not leave Spain without answering all legal charges against him.
She also claimed that she wants the tension with Morocco to come to an end “as soon as possible.”
It remains to be seen whether Spain will fulfill its commitment and put Ghali in trial for his alleged crimes or is it just another statement to calm tension with Morocco.
What transpires from the Morocco official is that Rabat is determined to compel Spain to shoulder its responsibilities towards its “privileged” partner and do away with its double talk.
