Spain’s Foreign Minister Josep Pique said Tuesday that his country looks forward to the speedy return of Morocco's ambassador to Madrid, recalled by Rabat last October following a dispute over the Western Sahara.
The minister pointed out that there still remained "a series of questions which should be addressed", between the two countries, although he said these could be dealt with through normal diplomatic channels, AFP reported.
In addition, Pique, who met with his Moroccan counterpart Mohammed Benaissa over the weekend, said he hoped the absence of Morocco's ambassador "would not continue too long".
Ambassador Abdelsalam Baraka was recalled from Madrid at the end of October in what Moroccan officials claimed was a protest at Spain's "hostility" towards Morocco over a string of disputes.
Ties have soured over Spain's continued support of the Algerian-backed Polisario Front which is seeking independence for the phosphate-rich former Spanish colony of Western Sahara, under Moroccan control since 1975.
They are also disputed over fishing rights, illegal immigration and off-shore oil prospection in an area between the Spanish Canary Islands and Morocco's Atlantic coast. (Albawaba.com)
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