Moroccan diplomacy gets angry with the UN special envoy for Western Sahara. UN diplomat Staffan de Mistura visited South Africa at the end of January.
Morocco considers Pretoria to be an active supporter of the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front. Morocco believes that Pretoria has no place at the negotiating table in a conflict which has lasted almost 50 years. 'Whether he goes to the planet Mars, there will still be the same treatment, South Africa does not have the ability to influence the matter'