Macron Not Scheduled to Visit Morocco

French President Emmanuel Macron. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron. (AFP)
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Macron Not Scheduled to Visit Morocco

French President Emmanuel Macron. (AFP)
French President Emmanuel Macron. (AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron's visit to Morocco "is neither on the agenda nor scheduled," said an official Moroccan government source.

In an interview with a news channel, France's Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna announced that a visit by Macron to Morocco had been scheduled, at the invitation of King Mohammed VI.

The source expressed astonishment that Colonna had taken "this unilateral initiative and allowed herself to make an uncoordinated announcement concerning an important bilateral event."

Relations between Rabat and Paris had reached new lows in recent months in spite of a visit by Colonna to the Moroccan capital in December.

The visit was aimed at overcoming disputes between their countries.

Tensions had erupted two years ago when France decided to reduce the number of visas granted to Moroccans and over Paris’ stance on the contentious Sahara issue and its siding with Algeria.

Relations grew even more strained after France criticized press freedom in Morocco.



Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
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Iraq Holds Kurdish Government Legally Responsible for Continued Oil Smuggling

Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo
Kurdish protesters block the road in front of trucks carrying oil in the Arbat area near Sulaymaniyah, Iraq February 23, 2025. REUTERS/Ako Rasheed/File Photo

Iraq's oil ministry said on Thursday it holds the Kurdish regional government (KRG) legally responsible for the continued smuggling of oil from the Kurdish region outside the country.

The ministry reserves the right to take all legal measures in the matter, it added.

Control over oil and gas has long been a source of tension between Baghdad and Erbil, Reuters reported.

Iraq is under pressure from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries to cut output to compensate for having produced more than its agreed volume. OPEC counts oil flows from Kurdistan as part of Iraq's quota.

In a ruling issued in 2022, Iraq's federal court deemed an oil and gas law regulating the oil industry in Iraqi Kurdistan unconstitutional and demanded that Kurdish authorities hand over their crude oil supplies.

The ministry said the KRG’s failure to comply with the law has hurt both oil exports and public revenue, forcing Baghdad to cut output from other fields to meet OPEC quotas.

The ministry added that it had urged the KRG to hand over crude produced from its fields, warning that failure to do so could result in significant financial losses and harm the country’s international reputation and oil commitments.

Negotiations to resume Kurdish oil exports via the Iraq-Türkiye oil pipeline, which once handled about 0.5% of global oil supply, have stalled over payment terms and contract details.