Nasser Bourita: “Marruecos no tiene obligación de proteger las fronteras de países distintos al suyo”

A week after the illegal entry of almost 9,000 Moroccan immigrants into Ceuta, the Moroccan foreign minister, Nasser Bourita, has spoken out after seven days of silence. The minister declared on the French channel LCI that "Morocco has no obligation to protect the borders of countries other than its own" in reference to the massive influx of Moroccan immigrants, including thousands of minors, on the Tarajal beach.

Bourita stressed that Morocco does not move in the field of immigration for money, pointing out that what Morocco gets on average from the European Union does not exceed 300 million euros per year, which is less than 20% of the cost Morocco bears in the fight against immigration.

Along these lines, Bourita affirmed that "Morocco has no vocation to be Europe's gendarme, nor its concierge". In addition, Bourita defends the fact that Morocco protects its borders by exercising its role as a "partner" and criticises Spain, stating that "if the foundations of this partnership are not respected, we should ask Spain, a European country, if it has consulted Europe before acting against the interests of this partner". This crisis has led to the deaths of two people, a 16-year-old and a 27-year-old, who allegedly tried to swim to Spain. 

Rabat continues to criticise the presence of Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali in Spain, describing his entry into the country as "fraudulent". In this sense, the Alawite country asks for a "transparent" investigation into the conditions of the leader's arrival, since he is said to have entered with false documentation under the name of Mohammed Ben Bettouch, of Algerian nationality, together with four other Algerian generals. Ghali, aged 73, is still hospitalised in Logroño after being admitted for coronavirus and suffering from cancer of the digestive system. 

Bourita went on to criticise the Spanish administration, saying that "the reality is that this person is being persecuted in Spain. There are at least four complaints against him for rape of a Spanish citizen, torture and terrorism by a Canarian association of victims of terrorism. Therefore, this is a case of the rule of law, the application of Spanish law in the first place and the intervention of the Spanish justice system". 

Bourita stressed that "Morocco has no problem with the EU. Morocco has a problem with Spain and in relation to a particular issue created by Spain without involving Europe. And I believe that it is up to Spain to resolve this problem". 
 

The Spanish government continues to respond that the reception of Ghali in the country is due exclusively to "humanitarian reasons", in accordance with international law, while the events in Ceuta have provoked different reactions among ministers. In this respect, the Minister of Defence, Margarita Robles, has declared that "Spain is not to be trifled with", and has branded Morocco's behaviour as "blackmail", which "will be used with all the means necessary to defend territorial integrity".

On the other hand, the former Minister of Defence, José Bono, has declared on La Sexta that thanks to Morocco "it has been possible to stop radical terrorists in Spain and prevent attacks that have caused deaths".  In this vein, he remarked that "wanting to get along badly with Morocco and not wanting to recognise what is good for Spain in the way it acts is suicidal". Furthermore, Bono criticised the positions of some Spanish circles that take advantage of the situation to criticise Morocco. According to the former minister, "some circles in Spain want Morocco to always be an adversary and want us to treat them inappropriately".

With regard to the actions of the Spanish armed forces after rescuing the immigrants, Bono defended the fact that "Spain knows that one of the best things the army does is humanitarian work". He went on to say that "when we have seen scenes like that of the civil guard who saved a baby, I have felt a great sense of pride as a Spaniard". 
 

Spanish justice has reopened a case against Brahim Ghali who, according to a Saharawi association, is accused of committing "crimes against humanity". For Morocco, Ghali is considered a "terrorist" who is alleged to have committed "torture, rape and acts of genocide", for which they are highly critical of Spain's position after taking him in.

This event, in addition to sparking an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between the two countries, has sparked a movement on social networks calling for a boycott of Spanish products in Morocco, a movement that so far has not gained many followers among the Moroccan population.

The official Moroccan press agency MAP compared Brahim Ghali's reception with the presence of the Venezuelan vice-president, Delcy Rodríguez, at Madrid's Adolfo Suárez airport and his meeting with the minister of public works, José Luis Ábalos.

However, the Supreme Court closed the case arising from several complaints against Ábalos, considering that there would be no crime because, although Rodriguez was banned from entering the European Union, the transit area of the airport is considered international territory and therefore he would not have broken any laws.

The prosecution argued that Rodriguez did not express his intention to enter the Schengen territory and did not assert his prerogative to use the authorities' lounge. In this sense, the Supreme Court recalls that his presence for several hours in the airport facilities violates the EU ban, but considers that the facts themselves "do not constitute an offence".