The German government says Chancellor Angela Merkel will travel to Morocco for a Dec. 10 conference meant to approve a UN-backed migration pact that is drawing strong opposition from nationalists in Europe and elsewhere. Government spokeswoman Martina Fietz announced Merkel's attendance on Friday, a day after the German parliament approved a motion endorsing the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration and emphasizing that the non-binding agreement doesn't change German law. That motion passed 372-153, with 141 abstentions. The pact has been opposed loudly by the far-right Alternative for Germany and also has drawn reservations from some in Merkel's conservative bloc. Several countries, including the United States, Hungary, Austria, Israel and Poland, have said that they won't back the accord, to be approved at the conference in Marrakech. A Spanish humanitarian aid organization says it has put a medical team aboard a fishing vessel stranded at sea for a week after it rescued 12 migrants in the Mediterranean. Open Arms said in a tweet Friday the medics are giving check-ups to the migrants, two of whom it described as minors. The plight of the Nuestra Senora de Loreto trawler has deepened in recent days, with the Spanish government saying it is concerned about the lack of food and fuel on board amid worsening weather. The Spanish government is trying to persuade Italy or Malta to let it dock. Those countries have rejected the appeal because the rescue took place in Libyan waters. European Union countries have been at odds over who should take in migrants from North Africa.
