The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, led by José Manuel Albares, has communicated that it was the chargé d’affaires and not the Moroccan ambassador, Karima Benyaich, who attended the Ministry on August 21 following the summons related to demands regarding Ceuta and Melilla.
The information was provided after the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, mentioned in the Plenary of Congress that the ambassador had been summoned, which generated demands from both coalition partners and the opposition. The Ministry explained that the chargé d’affaires, who temporarily assumes the position in the absence of the ambassador, was the one who attended the meeting amid criticisms from the leader of the PP, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, regarding the ambassador’s absence in Madrid.
Regarding the criticism for the silence of nearly two weeks about this summons, government sources indicated that it was not communicated earlier “out of prudence and responsibility.” Additionally, they reminded that the minister himself mentioned the summons during his appearance on August 28, clarifying that the Moroccan demands regarding the mentioned cities had been rejected through “all formal diplomatic channels.”
The statements of Morocco’s Minister of Justice, Abdellatif Ouahbi, and the Minister of Religious Affairs, Ahmed Toufiq, regarding the need for dialogue and the “liberation” of Ceuta and Melilla, occurred prior to the meeting in question. Following these events, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported that Albares maintains daily contact with his Moroccan counterpart, Naser Burita, to convey the message of Spanish sovereignty over both cities.
Furthermore, it has been revealed that the Moroccan government has initiated an investigation into the events that took place between August 30 and 31, which contrasts with the lack of publication of the ambassador’s summons, a standard procedure in situations of diplomatic discomfort. In previous occasions, similar announcements have been made in other diplomatic contexts.
Source: www.infobae.com
