France on Tuesday denied any friction with Morocco, a fact that has been repeatedly denounced by politicians and commentators after Rabat refused to provide French humanitarian aid to rescue victims of Friday’s earthquake.
At a press conference, a spokeswoman for the French Foreign Ministry stressed that there was “no basis for disagreement” on the issue, insisting that “Morocco is sovereign” and it was up to Rabat to decide on the needs and organize assistance for the victims.
Rabat “has decided to receive assistance in stages,” the spokeswoman said, without dramatizing the fact that Morocco has accepted support from Spain to support rescue and humanitarian operations following the earthquake, which killed more than 2,800 people and injured 2,500 and caused widespread damage. damage. in the Marrakech area.
Paris’ reaction, according to Spanish news agency EFE, “is a way of minimizing the importance of Rabat’s refusal” to send official French assistance similar to that accepted by Spain, which sent specialists from the Military Unit for Emergency Situations (UME) and the Special Emergency Rescue Directorate . Immediate Response Team (Ericam) of the Community of Madrid.
Spain is one of four countries, along with Britain, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, whose emergency assistance Morocco has accepted, although it has not closed the door on the possibility of requesting it from others if necessary.
This differentiated attitude has not gone unnoticed in France by analysts who, as EFE highlights, recall recent misunderstandings and rejection of Morocco.
A spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry highlighted the “solidarity” expressed in France following news of the earthquake, a reaction that she stressed “came from the entire French society”, adding that the French government had also expressed this from the very beginning. “wanting to help Morocco” moment.
On Monday, in the absence of an official rescue operation, the head of French diplomacy, Catherine Colonna, announced the allocation of five million euros to French and international non-governmental organizations already working on the ground.
The Foreign Ministry insisted that France’s official offer of assistance goes beyond the emergency mechanism as “it is designed for the medium to long term” and for this purpose they are still “in contact with the Moroccan authorities.” .
Among the differences between Paris and Rabat are press revelations about Morocco’s alleged responsibility for infiltrating, or attempting to infiltrate, the mobile phones of French President Emmanuel Macron and several members of the government.
On the other hand, EFE insists that Rabat “does not welcome” Macron’s desire to pursue rapprochement with Algeria, a secular rival in the Maghreb (the two countries have no diplomatic relations), and would also like France to join in full recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara , a former Spanish colony which it now largely occupies.
The rift between France, the former colonial power, and Morocco is also visible in the fact that the Rabat government has not had an ambassador to France since February this year and that within months French authorities stopped talking about Macron’s visit. to the Alawite Kingdom, which was supposed to take place in early 2023.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
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