The authorities in Morocco say they are suspending contacts with the German embassy in the kingdom over the European country’s position on the disputed enclave of Western Sahara, APA can report on Tuesday.
The Foreign Affairs Ministry in Rabat on Monday sent a letter to this effect to all government office heads in the kingdom advising them not to engage the German embassy until further notice.
“Because of the deep misunderstandings with the Federal Republic of Germany on the subject of fundamental questions of the Kingdom of Morocco, the ministerial departments of all the organizations which come under their supervision are requested to kindly suspend all contact, interaction, or action, cooperation, under no circumstances or in any form, both with the German Embassy in Morocco and with the German cooperation organizations and political foundations linked to it” a Foreign ministry statement seen by APA said.
It also indicated that “any derogation from this suspension can only be made on the basis of an explicit prior agreement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans residing abroad”.
Germany has not reacted to Rabat’s latest decision.
In the lead up to the suspension, Rabat has been displeased with Germany over its position after the White House under Donald Trump announced it was recognizing Moroccan control over the Western Sahara.
Far from backing Washington’s position Germany had called for a UN Security Council meeting over the issue, a move to which Rabat had taken exception.
Morocco had not been invited to an international conference on Libya held in Germany last year.
The small enclave of Western Sahara located in northwest Africa became under Moroccan control in 1975, but a movement known as the Polisario Front has been waging a low-intensity insurgency against this “occupation” ever since.
WN/as/APA