Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi reiterated the Kingdom’s historical and geographical claim to the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, marking his second public statement on the issue in just ten days.
Speaking to the second national television channel, Ouahbi declared: “For us, Ceuta and Melilla are Moroccan lands. We have a historical and geographical right to them. We cling to our right to recover our territories, and we will continue to demand them and engage in dialogue on the matter, because this is a question linked to our historical and geographical rights. Dialogue is the path we have chosen to address this file.”
The remarks follow Ouahbi’s earlier interview on 11 August with Al-Sharq channel, in which he stressed that the status of the two cities “remains on the table” in talks with Spanish officials and that Morocco pursues the matter with strategic patience and through dialogue.
His first statement prompted swift reactions in Madrid. The Spanish Foreign Ministry insisted that the status of Ceuta and Melilla “is not a subject for discussion,” while Defense Minister Margarita Robles reaffirmed Spain’s sovereignty over the cities. Reuters described Ouahbi’s comments as the first public re-raising of the issue by a Moroccan government official since the mass border-crossing crisis in Ceuta at the end of July.
Turning to the separate dossier of unaccompanied Moroccan minors in Ceuta and elsewhere in Spain, Ouahbi confirmed that official contacts with the Spanish side “are ongoing and will continue.” He underlined that Morocco seeks a definitive solution based primarily on the return of the minors to their country and their reunification with their families, in full respect of applicable legal procedures.
The minister rejected what he called “numerous political interpretations” circulating outside official channels, insisting that the matter is being handled exclusively through established diplomatic and institutional mechanisms. He reiterated Morocco’s readiness to receive the minors while noting that certain Spanish administrative and judicial procedures continue to create practical and legal obstacles to timely returns.
