Morocco's Foreign Minister Salaheddine Mezouar has denounced what he described as "pathetic" attempts to strain relations between Egypt and Morocco, Egypt's foreign ministry stated. Egypt's foreign ministry spokesman Badr Abdel-Atti said in a Friday statement that Mezouar had made the statement in a meeting with Egypt's Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukri on Thursday. The Moroccan minister stressed his nation's support for Egypt since the 30 June political transition, and its respect for the Egyptian people's will, according to Abdel-Atti's statement. Abdel-Atti added that the two ministers had discussed bilateral relations between the two countries as well as regional developments in the Middle East, especially in the Palestinian territories. Shoukri arrived in Morocco on Thursday to deliver a personal message from President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to King Mohamed VI, after a recent wave of tension between Cairo and Rabat. A report about Egypt which aired on Moroccan state television in December described El-Sisi as the leader of "a military coup," sparking anger in Egypt. Moroccan newspapers have also recently accused Egypt of supporting the the independence of Western Sahara, a hot-button topic for Rabat, due to the recent close relations between Egypt and Algeria. Algeria is a key backer of Western Sahara's pro-indepedence Polisario Front. Rabat had previously declared support for Egypt's campaign against an upsurge in militant violence that followed Morsi's ouster. Source : Ahram online
