Albares is committed to not holding Algeria responsible for the assault in Melilla until they clarify what happened

MADRID, 28 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The Minister of Foreign Affairs, European Union and Cooperation, José Manuel Albares, defended this Tuesday the need to clarify what happened last Friday in the assault on Melilla that resulted in more than twenty dead immigrants before "attributing responsibilities" and point to Algeria, as Morocco has done.

"You will not find me on the side of those who attribute responsibilities without knowing what has happened", the minister maintained in an interview on Antena3 collected by Europa Press, after being asked if, like Morocco, which has attributed to the Algeria's "deliberate laxity" on its border violent assault, believes that Algiers had something to do with it.

In this sense, he stressed that "both Morocco and Spain are demonstrating that we want to clarify what happened" hence why both the Moroccan Prosecutor's Office and the Spanish Ombudsman have opened an investigation. For this reason, he has asked to wait until "we have the facts clear."

On the other hand, Albares has avoided describing what happened on Friday as an attack, although he has emphasized that an avalanche of 2,000 people like the one registered "is something very difficult to manage and channel."

Thus, he recalled that what it is about is protecting the border and the citizens, in this case those of Melilla, for which he once again praised "the collaboration of the Moroccan security forces" to deal with the problem and also the "extraordinary work" of the Spanish security forces. Without them, he has stressed, "it would be impossible to control and defend that foreign border."

As for the lack of empathy that the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, has been criticized for his initial reaction, the Foreign Minister has assured that what happened "moves us all" and has vindicated the actions undertaken by the Executive against immigration and the "empathy" that Sánchez has always shown, according to him.

Thus, Albares has emphasized that immigration is "a very complex phenomenon that no country, not even the most powerful, can face alone." For this reason, he has opted to "further strengthen our collaboration with Morocco and with the countries of origin and transit" and has argued that the involvement of the EU and the European Commission in this area is also necessary.

In another order of things, the Foreign Minister has categorically rejected that within the government coalition there is a pact of silence not to talk about what happened in Melilla, after the spokeswoman, Isabel Rodríguez, prevented five times yesterday to the Minister of Equality, Irene Montero, to pronounce on what happened. "Not at all", she has affirmed, insisting that the Executive "is cohesive".