Morocco has asked that a long-awaited summit scheduled for December with Spain be postponed, deepening a crisis in relations between the two countries. The Moroccan government informed the Spanish embassy in Rabat on Tuesday, October 30 that its representatives would not be able to attend the summit scheduled for December 27, officials said here.
The meeting between Prime Minister Jose Marie Aznar and Moroccan counterpart Abderrahmane Youssoufi has been in the works for the past two years and was aimed at giving relations a fresh start. Spain and Morocco have been at a loggerheads over illegal immigration and fishing rights among other issues. Morocco last week recalled its ambassador for consultations.
Morocco's MAP news agency on Sunday quoted a foreign ministry spokesman in Rabat as saying the ambassador was being recalled in the light of "a certain number of Spanish attitudes and positions concerning Morocco". It did not give details. — (AFP, Madrid)
© Agence France Presse 2001
© 2001 Mena Report (www.menareport.com)
