Businessmen in Melilla have «little hope» in the meeting that will be attended by the Spanish Customs director, Maria Pilar Jurado and her Moroccan counterpart to discuss the closure of commercial borders separating northern Morocco and the Spanish enclave, says El Faro de Melilla. On the other hand, businessmen rely the most on former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero's expected trip to Nador. The Spanish politician will have to visit the Moroccan city to receive an award he was granted by the Shared Memory Center for Democracy and Peace. The information was made public though a statement issued by the association of Melilla businessmen on Sunday, 9th of September. The platform believes that Zapatero's interference might solve the current situation in the region, opening commercial borders between Melilla and Morocco. «We know that he will be visiting the neighboring city, where he will be receiving an award and we believe he can be a good mediator regarding the conflict that is seriously affecting Melilla», said Enrique Alcoba, head of the businessmen association in Melilla. «We understand that the problem should be solved through diplomacy», added the same source. For the record, Zapatero is expected to travel to Nador on October 6th to attend a ceremony during which he would be awarded.
