Moroccan minister dismayed at Spain's suspension of labor agreement

Moroccan labor, vocational training, social development and solidarity minister, Abbas El Fassi, said he was dismayed by Spain's decision to suspend a Moroccan-Spanish labor agreement.

This "surprising" decision contradicts statements by the Spanish home minister and throws in bitterness Moroccans who sought jobs in Spain, he said calling the measure an act of "unfounded and unjustified reprisal" against Morocco (which called back last October 28 its ambassador in Spain for consultation).

The bilateral labor agreement, signed last July in Madrid, was concluded after a series of negotiations and at the insistence of Spain, he told MAP. He also recalled that the accord, meant to regulate the migration flow, was welcomed by the public opinion in Spain as well as by authorities and social partners.

He also urged Spanish authorities to reconsider this stand, arguing that hesitation is inappropriate and that the history of Moroccan-Spanish history had never witnessed similar confusion between politics and socio-economic issues, even during moments of great tension.

The agreement, designed to reduce illegal immigration and fight the exploitation of workers, stipulates that Spain will give a group of legal migrants (12,000 to 20,000 annually according to the Spanish media) legal jobs, while protecting their rights and preserving their dignity.

The Moroccan community, with 125,000 registered workers, is the largest foreign community settled in Spain which has similar agreements with Ecuador and Columbia.