What’s behind the Morocco-Germany diplomatic dispute?

Morocco has suspended contact with the German embassy and German cultural organisations, prompting tit-for-tat moves.

Amid a diplomatic dispute between Morocco and Germany, which is widely understood to be down to differences over the disputed territory of Western Sahara, Spain, which ruled the desert region as a colony until 1975, has said it would seek a UN-negotiated solution. Morocco suspended contact with the German embassy and German cultural organisations in the North African country last Monday, prompting tit-for-tat moves from Germany. Spanish foreign minister Arancha Gonzalez Laya said Madrid would rely on the UN to broker an agreement between both sides.