Madrid - Spain's relations with its southern neighbour Morocco reached an all-time low this week when Rabat recalled its ambassador in Madrid and failed to inform the Spanish government for 48 hours, writes Jane Walker.
A scheduled bilateral summit on December 27th between the two governments has been postponed at the request of Morocco, as has a long-planned visit later this month of Mr Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, leader of the Spanish opposition.
The heightened tension coincides with the visit yesterday of Morocco's King Mohammed VI to a disputed region of Western Sahara.