Morocco Denies Allegations about Phone Call between King Mohammed VI, Nigerian President

PERSISMA, Rabat – Morocco denies the allegations spread by the Nigerian authorities that a phone call was held between King Mohammed VI and Nigerian president Jonathan Goodluck.

Morocco is surprised at the incredible twist given by Nigeria to an alleged phone conversation that never took place between King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President, the King’s Office said Tuesday.

“The King’s Office categorically denies the false allegations made by Nigerian authorities about an alleged phone conversation between the Sovereign and Nigerian President,” the King’s Office said in a statement.

Last Friday, the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs released a communique in which it stressed that “the request by Nigerian authorities for a phone conversation between HM King Mohammed VI and Nigerian President was refused by the Monarch who deemed it inappropriate on grounds of the upcoming elections in Nigeria.”

The Sovereign refused to accept the request which he deemed “inappropriate” on grounds that it is linked to the important elections in Nigeria and also because of Nigeria’s positions regarding the sacred national, Arab and Islamic causes, the Ministry said in a statement.

Nigeria is one of the staunch allies of Algeria, South Africa and Venezuela in defending the Polisario with the regards to the question of Western Sahara. Nigeria, which is a non-permanent member of the Security Council, has been lobbying the United Nations and calling for the establishment of human rights monitoring mechanism in the territory.

Africa’s most populous nation is also one of the few countries that recognize the self-proclaimed “Saharawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR).