Moroccan FM downplays South Africa's support to Polisario

Nasser Bourita, Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, played down the repercussions of the recent official reception of Brahim Ghali by South African leaders and the sit-in in front of the Moroccan embassy in Pretoria, saying that the Kingdom has been facing such methods since 2005.

This came during a press conference the minister held on Thursday evening, in the presence of Hadja Lahbib, Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Affairs, Foreign Trade and the Federal Cultural Institutions of the Kingdom of Belgium.

In response to journalists’ questions, Bourita said: “We have followed over the past two days what we can describe as glamor and cinema in Pretoria. This is not the first time that South Africa has gone in this direction; Since 2005, it has taken negative, hard-line positions that reflect its inability to influence its surroundings. »

He added that “during 2005, when Pretoria recognized the Polisario, it thought that countries of the world would follow suit and take the same direction, but what happened is that more than twenty countries withdrew recognition of the separatist entity.”

In his speech, Bourita added that « South Africa has entered the Security Council more than once, but it has not succeeded in implementing its agenda, as it is now aware that 90 countries recognize the autonomy proposal, including 30 African countries, and this deeply reflects their inability to influence this case.”

He stressed that South Africa is “on the wrong side of history; Because the path is moving in the direction of finding a political solution under the auspices of the United Nations,” noting that “Morocco will continue to confront this clamor by isolating South Africa and its positions, and the logic hostile to international legitimacy, and will continue to defend its interests.”

Bourita indicated that “receiving a militia leader harms bilateral relations, especially in the economic aspects; South African companies can’t profit in Morocco, considering at the implications of what the Pretoria government is doing.”