Morocco says stranding of goods in Spain contrary to treaty

Morocco says the stranding in Spain of Moroccan goods heading for European markets is contrary to the content of the treaty of friendship and good neighborly relations between the two countries.

A release from the prime minister's department says barring the way to trucks with cargoes of Moroccan produce is also a violation of international conventions on free circulation of goods.

After a ministerial meeting Tuesday on means to guarantee shipment of Moroccan goods to various European destinations circumventing the Spanish blockade, the department said action by Spanish farmers "caused major prejudice to the interests of various economic operators of different nationalities."

While truckloads of Moroccan produce and fish are being ransacked by farmers in Spanish entry ports, the Moroccan press unanimously denounced the "blackmail" of Spanish farmers protesting the move by the European Commission to lift import certificate requirements for Moroccan tomatoes as of Feb. 1st.