Morocco says it alerted Spain weeks before at least 50 000 people crossed into the Spanish exclave of Ceuta last week, claiming a recent court decision would trigger a migration crisis that Spanish officials deny being warned about.<\/p>\n
A senior Moroccan official, speaking on condition of anonymity on Monday night, said Rabat engaged with Madrid around 22-23 July after criminal networks began spreading information about a Spanish Supreme Court ruling from 8 July.<\/p>\n
The ruling stated that migrants arriving by sea should not face immediate removal, unlike those entering by land.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe discussed this ruling and its impact. We explained that this ruling was going to create a problem. And it did create a problem,\u201d the official said.<\/p>\n
Spanish government denies warning<\/p>\n
Spanish government spokeswoman Elma Saiz rejected Morocco\u2019s claims that advance warnings were given about the magnitude of the crisis.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt no point was there any evidence, any report that alerted us to the magnitude of this unprecedented event,\u201d she told reporters in Madrid.<\/p>\n
The influx saw mostly Moroccan nationals enter Ceuta on foot or by swimming from the nearby Moroccan city of Fnideq, quickly overwhelming the North African exclave before thousands were returned to Morocco.<\/p>\n
Madrid has blamed criminal gangs for spreading misinformation about the court ruling to encourage the crossings.<\/p>\n
Morocco defends response to crisis<\/p>\n
The Moroccan official rejected criticism of the kingdom\u2019s security response, arguing that using force against such large numbers was not feasible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s simplistic to say that Morocco should just have used force to stop them. That is to completely misunderstand this phenomenon,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt a certain point, the Moroccan law enforcement forces could no longer confront the migrants because the numbers were very large and because the pull effect was very strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added that migration management costs Morocco around 500 million euros annually and insisted it is not the kingdom\u2019s sole responsibility.<\/p>\n
Continued cooperation despite tensions<\/p>\n
Despite the dispute over advance warnings, both officials stressed ongoing collaboration between the two countries.<\/p>\n
The Moroccan official said Rabat and Madrid had acted \u201cas reliable partners\u201d and continued to work \u201cin perfect coordination\u201d on migration issues.<\/p>\n
\u201cMorocco\u2019s commitment remains the same. It accepts the return of those who manage to cross. It puts in place preventive measures to stop as many departures as possible, and it will continue to do so,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Saiz acknowledged that Spain\u2019s \u201cexceptional response in such a short period of time\u201d to the crisis would not have been possible without Morocco\u2019s cooperation.<\/p>\n
The official added that Spain now needs to find answers to the challenges posed by the court ruling.<\/p>\n