Sahrawi minister: Morocco’s accusations against Iran linked to Israel, Saudi Arabia
Sahrawi Interior Minister Bashir al-Bashir has linked the Morocco’s recent accusations against Iran with Saudi Arabia and Israel, rejecting the claims that Iran financially and logistically supported Polisario.
“Morocco’s accusations against Iran and Hezbollah of supporting the Polisario militarily are false because the Sahrawis have all the weapons and advanced missiles in their hands for years,” Sahrawi minister Bashir al-Bashir said in an interview with Sputnik in Arabic language on Wednesday.
Bashir al-Bashir said “Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Israel were seeking international tensions and the atmosphere of war,” adding “the decision to sever Morocco’s relations with Iran is linked to the Moroccan foreign minister’s visit to Israel and Saudi pressure on Rabat.”
“Regarding weapons, it is true that Hezbollah has advanced weapons, but we do not need weapons from Iran or Hezbollah, and when Morocco imposed war it was easy for us to obtain weapons,” he stressed.
The Sahrawi official stressed that the Polisario seeks strong relations with Iran and Hezbollah, saying, “we have an embassy in Tehran but it is closed is closed for years now,” adding “we are seeking to develop our relations with Iran… as well as Hezbollah.”
The dispute over Western Sahara began in 1975, following the withdrawal of Spain. Morocco and neighboring Mauritania took control of the region and shared the territory of the Sahara. After a fierce war with the Polisario, which was supported by Algeria, Mauritania withdrew from the Sahara and recognized the “Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic.”
The Sahraw Republic was later recognized by a number of African countries and received support from neighboring Algeria.
