Morocco criticise al-Jazeera journalist over offensive remarks

Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Salaheddine Mezouar on Tuesday lashed out at Al Jazeera TV interviewer Ahmed Mansour over his offensive remarks against Moroccan journalists, saying that his comments were “grubby” and proved how “arrogant” he was.

Mezouar, who is also secretary general of the National Gathering of Independents Party, released a statement Tuesday in which he condemned the views of Mansour, a journalist in the Qatar-based network Al Jazeera, on the Moroccan media and journalists.

Last week, Mansour attacked Moroccan politicians and journalists with offensive remarks. He labeled some Moroccan journalists as “pimps", "bastards", "corrupt" and "insects”.

Mezouar said that Mansour’s attack on Moroccan journalists and politicians reflected his “arrogance and recklessness.”

Mansour's attack came in response to a story published by the daily newspaper Asabah and other Moroccan websites about his alleged common-law marriage to a Moroccan woman.

Mansour could have filed a lawsuit against the newspaper rather than insulting the Moroccan journalists and politicians, Mezouar pointed out.