Morocco recalls ambassador to Berlin for consultation

RABAT, Morocco

Rabat on Thursday has recalled its Ambassador to Berlin Zohour Alaoui for consultation amid tensions with Germany regarding Morocco's Western Sahara regional conflict with the pro-independence Polisario Front.

"Germany has accumulated hostile stances that violate the high interests of the Kingdom," the Moroccan Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Morocco also accused Germany of excluding Rabat from regional talks on Libya.

The ministry said that Germany has a negative position toward the Moroccan Sahara cause following the US recognition of Morocco's sovereignty on the Sahara region.

The Foreign Ministry also accused Berlin of "relentlessly fighting the regional role played by Morocco" in Libya by trying to exclude Morocco's participation in regional meetings that address the Libyan issue.

Western Sahara is an area along Africa’s Atlantic coast that has a population of about 600,000 residents, according to UN estimates. It was colonized by Spain in the 19th century and annexed in 1975 by Morocco.

Rabat insists on its right to the Western Sahara region, but has proposed a self-rule system under Moroccan sovereignty.

The Polisario, for its part, demands that a popular referendum be held in Western Sahara to decide the region’s political fate -- a proposal backed by Algeria.

*Ahmed Asmar contributed to this report from Ankara