Moroccan opposition party calls prime minister to make clarifications about Fkih Basri's letter

The Moroccan opposition party "L'Union Constitutionnelle" (UC) called the Prime Minister, Abderrahmane youssoufi, who is directly concerned by the letter ascribed to Fkih Basri to make clarifications to the Moroccan people on the contents of the letter, the time when it was written and the credibility as to its origin.

"The security of the governmental institution as a constitutional institution requires that the Prime Minister, who is directly concerned by the letter ascribed to Fkih Basri to make clarifications to the Moroccan people," said a statement by the UC political bureau, issued Monday.

The party deems it necessary that the Prime Minister makes clarifications, especially so as the charge is in principle contrary to the responsibilities conferred to him.

The Prime Minister is called to "display more transparency in dealing with the issue and preserving the credibility of constitutional institutions," the UC communiqué said.

Le Journal weekly published two weeks ago a dossier on the circumstances of the coup d'état of 1972, led by General Oufkir, and a letter reportedly by Fkih Basri, a leftist leader, and sent in the seventies to the late first secretary of the USFP, Abderrahim Bouabib, and Abderrahmane Youssoufi, current USFP first secretary, showing they were involved in the coup attempt.

The publishing and circulation of the weekly was banned last Saturday. Two other weeklies Demain and Assahifa were also banned for having published or commented the dossier.

The communiqué by the Prime Minister announcing the ban said the weeklies were banned for "having deliberately attacked Morocco's most sacred institutional foundations" and for their clear attempt to destabilize the country's institutions.