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Spanish king talks with Moroccan counterpart in diplomatic row
Aug 11, 2010, 18:54 GMT
Madrid - Spanish King Juan Carlos spoke on the telephone Wednesday with his Moroccan counterpart King Mohammed the VI to try to help smooth over a diplomatic row between the two countries concerning Spain's exclave Melilla.
The Spanish royal house said Juan Carlos, calling from his vacation home on Mallorca, made the call to try to clear up what were called 'misunderstandings' in recent days.
The move came after the government in Rabat had issued four communiques over the past few days accusing Spanish border police in Melilla of racism and of attacking Moroccans and African refugees.
Spain rejected the allegations.
The royal house statement said Juan Carlos and Mohammed VI agreed that such 'misunderstandings' should not adversely affect the good relations existing between the two countries.
Diplomatic analysts in Madrid said the Moroccan accusations had taken Spain by surprise given the generally unproblematic state of bilateral relations.
Public commentators in Spain regarded the four communiques as part of a campaign by Rabat to underscore Morocco's claims to the cities of Melilla and Ceuta on the northern Moroccan coast which belong to Spain.
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