Rabat- The Moroccan government on Thursday said that it still awaits a clear explanation from French authorities regarding the two incidents that caused a diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Following the weekly government meeting, Morocco’s Minister of Communication and government’s spokesperson, said that his government still did not receive a clear explanation from Paris regarding the two incidents.
“We are confident about the fact that France will know how to solve these two incidents by providing the necessary explanations, "said Mustapha El Khalfi.
“The incident of the descent of seven policemen was I disregard of the legal agreements signed between the two countries and the statement attributed to an ambassador is insulting. There has been a violation of diplomatic norms,” he added.
The trigger of the current diplomatic row between the two allies was a lawsuit filed by an NGO against Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of its domestic intelligence agency (DGST).
The lawsuit was followed by the decision of a French judge to send 7 policemen to Moroccan ambassador’s residence to inform Hammouchi, who was believed to be accompanying the interior minister on a visit to Paris, of a summons issued by the investigating judge.
As if this incident was not enough, Spanish actor, Javier Bardem, known for his unwavering support to the Polisario Front, which claims the independence of the Sahara, told French media last week that, during a meeting he had held with France’s Ambassador to the United Nations in 2011, the French diplomat had told him that “Morocco is a mistress who you sleep with every night, who you don’t particularly love but you have to defend.”
On Monday, the Moroccan government condemned in “the strongest terms,” the alleged demeaning expressions” made by the French Ambassador, adding that they were “scandalous and unacceptable.”