Nasser Bourita, Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation, and Moroccans Abroad, stated that Morocco is still awaiting a “satisfactory and convincing response” from the Spanish government regarding its decision to grant entry to Ibrahim Ghali, who is being prosecuted by Spanish authorities on charges of genocide and terrorism.
In an interview with the Spanish news agency EFE on Saturday, Mr. Bourita stated that Morocco has not yet received any response from Madrid to the questions it raised in a statement issued last Sunday.
“Why did the Spanish authorities deem it unnecessary to inform Morocco? Why did they choose to coordinate with Morocco’s adversaries? Is it normal for us to learn about this from the press?” the minister asked, questioning whether Spain “wishes to sacrifice bilateral relations” over the case of Ibrahim Ghali.
He described this issue as “a test of the credibility and sincerity of our relationship, and of whether it is merely a slogan,” noting that Morocco has always supported Spain in the face of separatist tendencies in Catalonia.
Mr. Bourita added, “When Spain faced separatist tendencies, Morocco was very clear at the highest level: we refused any contact or interaction with them and informed our partners. And when the Catalans asked us to receive them at the ministry, we insisted that a representative from the Spanish embassy be present.”
The minister stressed that “with partners, there are no games or backstabbing on an issue that is fundamental to Morocco,” adding that before taking a single step forward in bilateral relations, “things must first be clarified.”
Mr. Nasser Bourita emphasized that the case of Ibrahim Gali reflects the “hypocrisy of the ‘Polisario’: while its leaders are granted the right to a private jet and new identities, the population held captive in Tindouf does not even have masks or hand sanitizer, even as the COVID-19 pandemic ravages them amid utter indifference.”
The minister asked, “Ibrahim Ghali is a rapist associated with slavery, torture, war crimes, child recruitment, and genocide—and Spain knows all this better than anyone else. Does it want to sacrifice its relationship with Morocco for the sake of this man?”
Referring to the complaints filed by the victims of Ibrahim Ghali, particularly the Sahrawi Association for the Defense of Human Rights and the Canarian Association of Victims of Terrorism, the minister asked, “Where is the Spanish justice system in all this? Hasn’t any judge decided that it is necessary to take action on these complaints?”
Regarding the arguments that Spain was the occupying power in southern Morocco, the Moroccan minister noted that this was a “pretext that no longer holds water,” explaining that Spain had also colonized territories in northern Morocco, yet it “behaves as if nothing is wrong.”
He stressed that “we cannot remain prisoners of Spain’s past.”
Mr. Bourita said that Morocco and Spain are indeed united by a “comprehensive partnership: political, economic, commercial, humanitarian, and security-related,” This brings us to the issue of migration, he added, noting that one should not believe this to be “a selective relationship: whenever it comes to collusion with Algeria and the ‘Polisario,’ Morocco disappears from Spain’s radar, but when we talk about migration or terrorism, we become important again.”
Mr. Bourita reiterated, once again, that Morocco refuses to act as the European Union’s “policeman” on migration issues.
He said, “This issue requires a comprehensive approach, not just a financial one: we must be partners in the vision and in formulating strategies, not merely in implementing them in exchange for a sum of money.”
The minister expressed regret that migration issues in Europe are driven by political calculations: “Political polls, pressure, and election deadlines, which lead Europeans to focus on short-term considerations,” calling for “an end to the distortion of the migration phenomenon.”
