France’s Hollande calls Morocco king to defuse row

Agence France-Presse
February 26, 2014 7:03am

French President Francois Hollande has telephoned Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to soothe diplomatic tensions raised by civil lawsuits filed in Paris accusing Morocco’s intelligence chief of “complicity in torture.”

Morocco, a close ally with strong commercial and cultural ties to its former colonial ruler, had reacted furiously to the announcement last Thursday of two lawsuits filed by an NGO against Abdellatif Hammouchi, the head of its domestic intelligence agency (DGST).

Hollande called the king, who is currently touring West Africa, to reassure him of France’s “constant friendship,” “dispel the misunderstandings” and underline his desire to strengthen ties, the president’s office said Tuesday.

Read more >>