Frankfurt, Germany (TMT)- Morocco answered last week’s ruling issued by Spanish judge Judge Pablo Ruz that there is “evidence of crimes committed by 11 Moroccan officials against 7 “separatists of the polisario front, and “that amount to genocide,” an event which saw the said Spanish judge even call on the Moroccan authorities to arrest and extradite “seven of the former Moroccan military and political officials to Spain” to stand before justice.
The Moroccan authorities answered showing their “astonishment” at this “unprecedented Spanish judicial decision” which they referred to as unethical, and even politically driven given the timing the judge has chosen to issue it, which coincides with the United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon release last week of his “annual report on the situation in the Western Sahara.”
The Moroccan authorities said that in the wake of this ruling that they are making the following clarifications and precisions:
1- It is a new attempt to dig out an old issue, after that of 2007, which proved to be in vain and full of serious factual errors and nearly ridiculous contradictions. The seeming “corrections” made since then, confirm the lack of credibility of the process and its iniquitous aspect.
2 The facts mentioned date back to more than 25 years ago and for some of them, to almost four decades. They concern a very particular historical period and specific circumstances related to armed hostilities of another era. Digging them out now represents primarily a political tool especially that they were dealt with by the Equity and Reconciliation Commission (IER), the seriousness and credibility of which have been widely recognized.
3- The timing chosen to resurrect this pseudo case, ahead of the annual UN deadline related to the Moroccan Sahara issue, shows clearly the parties, well known, which are behind these manoeuvres and reveals their real political agenda.
4- It is unfortunate that some individuals with ambiguous motivations and seeking personal glory, use their responsibilities within the Spanish judicial system, to serve practices targeting the Moroccan-Spanish bilateral relations, which witness today, one of their most serene and promising phases.
5. As long as Morocco is ready to cooperate fully with the Spanish authorities to show the baseless aspect of the charges, Morocco also reiterates its refusal of principle of any legal action against Moroccan citizens abroad, for acts to have allegedly been committed on the national territory and which remain under the responsibility of the Moroccan justice.
6- The Kingdom of Morocco is committed to strengthening relations of constructive good neighborliness and the particular strategic partnership with the Kingdom of Spain. Morocco will work to preserve this relation from all practices of nuisance produced by the enemies of this relationship.
The Moroccan Times.
