Moroccan-Spanish relations face crisis after Laâyoune clashes

After the Spain criticized the Kingdom for its actions at the Gdeim Izik protest camp, Moroccan politicians questioned the solidity of bilateral relations.

By Naoufel Cherkaoui for Magharebia in Rabat – 07/12/10

A day after the Spanish Parliament condemned Moroccan security services for recent clashes in Laâyoune, Moroccan MPs responded by demanding a review of the two nations' relations.

A statement from the Moroccan Parliament on Friday (December 3rd) said that the Spanish resolution was "biased and hostile to the Kingdom of Morocco in its sovereign, historical and legitimate rights to our restored southern provinces. The resolution also substantially contradicts Morocco's supreme interests and grossly affects our national cause and the feelings of all categories of the Moroccan people."

Moroccan Communications Minister Khalid Naciri echoed Parliament's concerns.

"Considering that the Spanish Parliament's resolution is hostile to Morocco and implicitly takes sides with our country's enemies, while at the same time keeps silent about Algeria although it was mainly responsible for the extreme tension that the region suffers, the Moroccan government considers the positions of the relevant Spanish political parties, which stem from an old complex towards Morocco, to be completely unacceptable."

For its part, the Spanish government tried to contain the situation. Spanish Interior Minister Alfredo Pérez Rubalcaba said December 3rd that "relations between Spain and Morocco are strategic and very important, and will remain so forever".

"I'm sure that this base of confidence will allow the two countries to get past any event or circumstance," Rubalcaba added. "My country will proceed with its policy that aims to enhance the bilateral relations which are very important for the two sides."

For his part, Polisario leader Mohamed Abdelaziz said in a letter addressed to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon that "the Moroccan government is still proceeding, with a stepped up pace, in a dangerous policy, which amounts to ethnic cleansing, targeting the Sahrawi people, especially since its treacherous, brutal attack on al-Karama camp in the Gdeim Izik area, east of Laâyoune, and the ensuing oppression, repressions, crackdowns and destruction, and the resulting deaths, wounds and missing detainees among the unarmed Sahrawi population."

However, Morocco denies that there were any deaths among civilians. Speaking before the European Parliament, Moroccan Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri said the legislative body relied on faulty data in issuing its resolution condemning Moroccan security services, adding that "the truth has been distorted".

Ana Gomes, a Spanish representative in the European Parliament, alleged that European intelligence agencies report "between 500 and 600 people disappeared" in the Laâyoune events.

Fassi Fihri said that such figures were completely unfounded and that the real deaths were among the Moroccan security forces, which sustained 11 fatalities. The minister added that the Polisario itself didn't talk about these imaginary figures, but only talked about two deaths among civilians, who he claimed were later found out to still be alive.

Many Moroccans condemned the European Parliament's resolution and blamed the Spanish People's Party for issuing it. Tensions were further strained when some Spanish media outlets, including the country's largest paper, El País, used images of victims from Gaza in their coverage of the Laâyoune clashes.

Abdelillah Benkirane, Secretary-General of Morocco's Justice and Development Party (PJD), said that the European Parliament's resolution was issued with incitement from the Spanish People's Party which "behaves as if Spain and Morocco are two hostile countries, while the two countries try to maintain their relations".

Moroccan Finance Minister Salaheddine Mezouar, who also heads the National Rally of Independents (RNI), denounced the "hysterical behavior demonstrated by the Spanish People's Party to influence the European Parliament's resolution on Laâyoune events", adding that the Moroccan people would never relinquish an inch of their soil.

Nabil Benabdallah, Secretary-General of Party of Progress and Socialism, said that the European Parliament's resolution featured a distortion of facts and didn't point out to what's going on in the Tindouf camps.

In his turn, Thami El Khyari, Secretary-General of the National Democratic Forces Front, said that the European Parliament's resolution was not appropriate and was issued under the influence of some political circles and institutions of the Spanish People's Party.

He noted that the European Parliament's resolution didn't take into account all the data confirmed by international human rights organizations, and just walked in the footsteps of people who oppose the Kingdom's territorial integrity.

Source: Magharebia.com.
Link: http://www.magharebia.com/cocoon/awi/xhtml1/en_GB/features/awi/features/2010/12/07/feature-01.