At a press briefing following the weekly cabinet meeting, Naciri underlined that the Moroccan youths were victims of attacks by the so-called "polisario's youth", who were supported by people from countries hostile to Morocco and Moroccans.

    The minister said "instigators who manipulate these young people as puppets who have no morals and no personality" are behind these acts.

    Naciri also expressed solidarity with these young Moroccans who travelled to Pretoria not to oppose the youth festival’s values, but to stick to them in a positive way, adding that the young Moroccans went to Pretoria in order to convey a noble message of dialogue, friendship and peace.

    The attack left four wounded among the Moroccan participants, including the delegation head.   

    Speaking on the UN-sponsored negotiations on the Sahara, Naciri reiterated that the Morocco “adopts a sincere position in the hope of breaking the impasse into which the other party has precipitated us.”