Officials said the five Moroccans were attacked by the Spanish Civil
Guard in Melila when their car was spotted with Moroccan flags. They said
the detainees, who came from Belgium to Morocco for a vacation, were
hospitalized after being beaten severely.
The Foreign Ministry said this marked the first time that Spain refused
to allow Moroccans in Melila. The ministry said Spain, in rejecting the
right of Moroccans to travel with their national flag, had staged a new
provocation regarding the disputed city.
"Moroccan citizens have the absolute right to hold the national flag
wherever they are," the ministry said.
Morocco has long claimed territory occupied by Spain. In 2002, Moroccan
troops landed on the Mediterranean island of Perejil in an attempted
takeover, only to be expelled by the Spanish military a week later.
Over the last two years, Spain has bolstered its security forces along
the border with Morocco. Melila and Ceuta are two coastal cities that remain
under Spain sovereignty, which has sparked massive protests by Moroccans.
Rabat has demanded that Spain negotiate the future of Ceuta and Melila.
So far, Madrid has refused to accept any such formal request from its North
African neighbor.
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