Morocco orders Swedish diplomat to leave

RABAT (Reuters) - Morocco said it ordered a Swedish diplomat to leave the country after she sent an official Moroccan document to allies of the Polisario Front, which is seeking independence for Moroccan-held Western Sahara.

The government shared the document with European diplomats during a regular meeting on October 9 to discuss the situation in the desert territory, the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Anna Block-Mazoyer, the adviser to Sweden's ambassador in Rabat, then sent the document to "separatist elements linked to Algeria and the Polisario", the ministry said.

It said her actions went against diplomatic ethics and rules which state that documents shared with embassies should never be used against the interests of the host country.

Foreign Minister Taieb Fassi Fihri summoned the Swedish ambassador in Rabat, Michael Odevald, said her actions were a serious breach of diplomatic practice and demanded her "immediate departure", it said.

The Swedish ambassador was not available to comment on Thursday, an embassy official said.

Morocco annexed Western Sahara in 1975 and is now offering it autonomy but Polisario, which fought a guerrilla war until 1991 and is backed by Algeria, is demanding a referendum on Western Sahara's future.