Morocco has arrested a group of people suspected of inciting new attempts to illegally cross into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, DPA revealed. The agency cited the Spanish Ministry of the Interior.
It pointed out that calls for mass crossings into the Spanish enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla are spreading on social media in Morocco. The migrant raid was scheduled for August 15.
The Spanish authorities have taken all necessary measures to prevent illegal border crossings and to detain people.
Morocco said that security measures in areas near the borders with Ceuta and Melilla were being continuously strengthened and adapted depending on the development of the situation and the nature of the risks.
It stressed that the authorities' readiness was not linked to a specific date, but was part of a permanent position on security.
At the end of July, around 72,000 migrants briefly crossed into the Spanish enclave in a mass attempt to cross the border, in which at least 96 people died.
Spain said yesterday that its sovereignty over the North African enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla was not up for debate, after Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Wahbi again raised the question of Rabat's claims to the two cities, reports "Reuters"
Wahbi's statement to Asharq television on Tuesday is the first time Morocco has publicly raised the controversial issue since the migrant crisis on the Ceuta border in late July. Then, about 72,000 migrants briefly crossed into the Spanish enclave in a mass attempt to cross the border, in which at least 96 people died.
The Moroccan minister said that his country always raises the status of Ceuta and Melilla in negotiations with Spain and that Rabat's long-term goal is to resolve the issue through dialogue.
Morocco, which gained independence in 1956, considers Ceuta and Melilla to be territories occupied by Spain and insists that sovereignty over them should ultimately be transferred to Rabat.
Madrid categorically rejects this position and considers the two autonomous cities an integral part of Spain. Melilla came under Spanish control at the end of the 15th century, and Ceuta in the 17th century, after previously being a possession of Portugal.
"Ceuta and Melilla are not just Spanish - they are ultra-Spanish and inviolable", Defense Minister Margarita Robles told journalists in Ceuta.
"Any attack on Ceuta and Melilla is an attack on Spain as a whole. "This should never happen again," she added, referring to the migrant crisis since late July.
The Spanish Foreign Ministry also reacted to the Moroccan minister's words, saying that the country's territorial integrity "has not been and will never be discussed with anyone."
Despite the sovereignty dispute, the Spanish government has largely given a positive assessment of cooperation with Moroccan authorities in the return of migrants following the Ceuta crisis. Madrid has blamed organised human trafficking networks for the mass crossing.
Meanwhile, the Moroccan Interior Ministry announced on Wednesday that it was stepping up security measures at the borders with Ceuta and Melilla after calls were circulating online for a new mass crossing attempt on August 15.
Rabat warned that organisers and participants could be held accountable and urged citizens not to give in to such calls due to the danger to their lives.
Morocco has also asked Spain to speed up the return of unaccompanied Moroccan minors in Ceuta. Last week, Spanish Youth Minister Cira Rego said Madrid would consider Rabat's proposal to repatriate the children on a case-by-case basis.
Ceuta and Melilla are the European Union's only land borders with Africa and have been among the main points of migratory pressure on EU territory for years.