German President Seeks 'New Partnership' With Morocco

Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
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German President Seeks 'New Partnership' With Morocco

Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
Morocco's King Mohammed VI arrives for a lunch at the Elysee Palace as part of the One Planet Summit in Paris, France, December 12, 2017. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier invited Morocco’s King Mohammed VI to visit his country in order to “establish a new partnership” between Rabat and Berlin, the Moroccan Royal Court announced in a statement on Thursday, following a diplomatic crisis last year.

The statement said that the German president, in a message addressed to King Mohammed VI on the occasion of the New Year, praised Morocco’s “effective engagement in the peace process in Libya.”

The statement said that Germany “welcomes the vast reforms undertaken under the leadership of His Majesty the King” Mohammed VI, considers the autonomy initiative as a “good basis” for the settlement of the Moroccan Sahara issue and expresses its “gratitude” for his active engagement in the peace process in Libya.

Berlin’s criticism of a US decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara in late 2020, was a major reason for Rabat’s announcement of suspending all forms of communication with the German embassy last March.

However, relations between the two countries saw some improvement recently, as the Moroccan foreign ministry announced two weeks ago its intention to resume “normal” diplomatic ties with Germany, a day after the German Foreign Ministry published a statement confirming that its position on the Sahara conflict “has not changed for decades.”

On Dec. 22, Morocco welcomed the “positive declaration and constructive positions that were recently expressed by the new federal government of Germany.”

The ministry added that these positions “allow the resumption of bilateral cooperation and the normal operation of diplomatic representations of the two countries in Rabat and Berlin.”

Morocco’s authorities had summoned the country’s ambassador in Berlin, two months after the decision to suspend all contact or cooperation with the German embassy in Rabat. A statement by the Moroccan foreign ministry said at the time that Germany had accumulated hostile attitudes that violated the country’s higher interests.



US Imposes Sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related Targets

Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
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US Imposes Sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related Targets

Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB
Houthi fighters take part in a parade during a mobilization campaign, in Sanaa, Yemen, 18 December 2024. EPA/YAHYA ARHAB

The United States on Thursday imposed sanctions on Iran and Houthi-related entities, according to the Treasury Department website which listed a number of individuals, companies and vessels that had been targeted.

The sanctions target three vessels involved in the trade of Iranian petroleum and petrochemicals, which generate billions of dollars for Iran's leaders, the Treasury said, supporting its nuclear program, development of ballistic missiles and financing of proxies including Lebanon’s Hezbollah, Hamas in the Gaza Strip and the Houthis in Yemen.

“The United States is committed to targeting Iran’s key revenue streams that fund its destabilizing activities,” Bradley Smith, acting under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence, said in a release. Smith said Iran relies on a shadowy network of vessels, companies, and facilitators for those activities.

The vessels targeted were the Djibouti-flagged crude oil tanker MS ENOLA, owned by Journey Investment company, the San Marino-flagged MS ANGIA, and the Panama-flagged MS MELENIA. The last two tankers are managed and operated by Liberia- and Greece-registered Rose Shipping Limited, Treasury said.

The Treasury also sanctioned a dozen individuals, including the head of the Houthi-aligned Central Bank of Yemen branch in Sanaa, for their roles in trafficking arms, laundering money, and shipping illicit Iranian petroleum for the benefit of the Houthi militias.

It said that among the persons designated are key smuggling operatives, arms traffickers, and shipping and financial facilitators who have enabled the Houthis to acquire and transport an array of dual-use and weapons components, as well as generate revenue to support their destabilizing regional activities.

The sanctions block all property and interests in the United States of the designated parties and US persons and entities dealing with them could be exposed to sanctions or enforcement actions including fines.