Khalid Zerouali: Europe is a strategic partner, we are not monetizing the migration issue

Rabat (Morocco), Sep 17 (EFE) - (Camera: Mohamed Siali) Morocco's top migration official, Khalid Zerouali, affirms that the aid of 500 million euros over seven years given by the EU to Morocco to fight irregular migration "is below" what the Maghreb country wants and does not cover its expenses, which he estimates at 427 million per year.

SOUNDBITES OF THE DIRECTOR OF MIGRATION AND BORDER SURVEILLANCE OF THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR OF MOROCCO, KHALID ZEROUALI AT THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE MINISTRY OF THE INTERIOR IN RABAT, MOROCCO.

TRANSLATION AND MINUTES:

00:00 - 00:40 "Morocco operates in a continuous way the adaptation of the coastal control devices. The migrant smuggling networks innovate and introduce new methods in their operations and Morocco thanks to the alertness (vigilance) of the security services manages to evolve its device, both nationally and in cooperation with our neighbors Spain to reinforce this common fight".

00:40 - 01:30 "So far this year until July we have aborted 40,600 attempts of irregular migration to Europe, which is an increase of 11 % compared to the same period of the previous year. We have also dismantled 124 criminal networks and rescued nearly 7,000 migrants by sea. This shows that the results are convincing and, although there is a drop in arrivals on the Spanish coasts, this does not mean that the pressure has decreased here. The results bear witness to the effectiveness of the Moroccan device in the fight against the irregular migratory phenomenon."

01:30 - 02:16 "It is a new phenomenon both in its volume, there were about 2,000 migrants, and at the level of its violence, we were facing very aggressive people, and also at the level of the modus operandi. We are not dealing with an assault where the migrants climb the fence, but they entered through a corridor intended for pedestrians, which is Chinatown. So, the choice of this narrow point is what has caused this drama."

02:16-03:00 "Every time there is an event there is a process of lessons to be learned, there are lessons to be drawn. Sometimes things to improve. But that day, the forces of law and order acted according to the doctrine of maintaining order, even though the people who were in front of them that day were battle-hardened people with a military background, people who have participated and evolved in hotbeds of tension, who were not migrants like those we were used to seeing."

03:00-03:37 "Morocco is a responsible state, it has always demonstrated its availability in all regional and international spheres to share its experience with friendly countries. The leadership of His Majesty King Mohammed VI in Africa demonstrates the quality of Moroccan action. Morocco is not going to instrumentalize anything for political reasons, it is unfounded."

03:37-04:16 "There is a lot of noise about these minors, but most of them are not Moroccans. We have to clarify all this. We have dealt with this issue with a lot of courage and transparency, we have sent teams to France, Spain and other countries to identify some minors. I can assure you that Morocco reiterates its availability to receive its children, but the problem is in the European countries where the laws and their regulations make these repatriations a bit complicated".

04:16-04:40 "The aid is below what we want and what we ask for. We are talking about 300 million euros of financial support and 200 million euros of technical support. It is far below what we spend. According to our latest estimates, we spend 427 million euros a year."

04:40-05:06 "Europe is a strategic partner, we are not monetizing the migration issue. We are a responsible state. Whether there is assistance or not, Morocco will continue to do what it has to do, but we estimate that in the framework of good cooperation, in the framework of good neighborliness and shared responsibility, we consider that what was earmarked is below what we want."