Brussels, 09/01/2007 (Agence Europe) - The European Commission intends to contact the Moroccan authorities for an explanation regarding allegations that hundreds of migrants have been arrested in that country and expelled to the Algerian border. Several NGOs, including Amnesty International, revealed that over 400 sub-Saharan immigrants had been arrested by the Moroccan police services at the end of December 2006 in several districts of Rabat, before being taken by force to a place near Oujda, on the Algerian border. Amnesty International expressed grave concern about the fate awaiting about one hundred persons, including some who held documents issued by the office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who have disappeared without trace since the crackdown on 23, 25 and 29 December. “The Commission has been informed by civil society of these events which seem serious”, Friso Roscam Abbing, spokesman for the Justice, Security and Freedom Commissioner, said on Tuesday. “We shall be contacting the Moroccan authorities for their version of the facts”, the spokesman added, asserting, moreover, that this matter would “soon” be raised at a meeting of the sub-committee on human rights of the Morocco-EU Association Council. Roscam Abbing went on to point out that Morocco is compelled to comply with human rights requirements in implementation of the EU/Morocco Neighbourhood Action Plan, as well as international rules for the protection of refugees. On Tuesday, Amnesty International urged the European Commission to review its collaboration with Morocco for combating illegal migration. (bc)