Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar said his country wants "stable" relations with Morocco following an agreement last week over a disputed island.
Meanwhile in Rabat, Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammed Benaissa told parliament that Madrid was trying to reopen issues such as Morrocan territorial waters and air space over the Mediterranean "that have been settled". Benaissa did not specify what was causing Morocco's concern.
Aznar told a meeting near Madrid that Spain was "ready to act so that our relations (with Morocco) become stable and normal again." Aznar added that it had been Spain's intention to restore the status as it existed before Moroccan troops set foot on it on July 11. "We said it from the beginning; we had no other objective and no other interests," he said, according to AFP.
For his part, Benaissa said Thursday in a statement he read before the senate, "We have noticed that Spain is trying to go back on what has been settled as far as a key issue such as Morocco's uncontested sovereignty over its territorial waters and air space in the Mediterranean is concerned". "This question which is key to Morocco needs no explanation, or discussions," he added.
Meanwhile, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak arrived in Spain Thursday for an official visit and he is expected to meet with Spanish King Juan Carlos I and Aznar on Friday and discuss with them questions including the Middle East situation. (Albawaba.com)
© 2002 Al Bawaba (www.albawaba.com)
