Moroccan Minister of Justice claims rights over Ceuta and Melilla

The Minister of Justice of Morocco, Abdellatif Ouahbi, has once again defended this Friday the "historical and geographical rights" of the Maghreb country over the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla and has opted for a "space for dialogue" to address it with the Spanish authorities.

In an interview on the public television network 2M, Ouahbi stated that "we will defend our historical and geographical rights, and avenues for dialogue on this issue", and has also called for "finding a definitive solution" to the current status of Ceuta and Melilla.

In this sense, the head of Justice has advocated establishing a "space for dialogue" with the Spanish authorities to address the "question" of the two aforementioned localities, and has argued for this that "it is not possible to remain silent on the matter, neither for the good of the future nor for the good of the present."

The words of the Moroccan minister come three weeks after the migration crisis caused by the irregular entry of 72,000 migrants into Ceuta from the border with Morocco. The majority have already been returned and the Government is now working to care for the unaccompanied minors who entered the autonomous city.