The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, told Cadena Ser yesterday that there is no need to negotiate with Rabat to apply the bilateral agreement on the repatriation of unaccompanied minors to Morocco, because it has been in force for many years.
Albares indicated that it is not necessary to establish “contacts” with his Moroccan counterpart in order to proceed with its application, and he expressed his conviction that the returns of the unaccompanied minors who entered Ceuta irregularly and en masse in mid-May are being carried out in line with this bilateral agreement and “with the law”.
Asked whether we can trust that the minors will receive the treatment they deserve in their country of origin, he replied that we will have to trust in this “as long as there is no proof to the contrary”.
“Morocco is a great country and a great friend, but even more so at this time. Spain and Morocco are called to have a good relationship. For me, it is an absolute priority”, said Albares, who affirmed that for any Spanish foreign minister, relations with the Alawi kingdom are a “priority”.
Meanwhile, yesterday, the State Attorney’s Office backed the legality of proceeding with the return of the minors to Morocco through the 2007 Agreement signed with Rabat before the Administrative Court number 1 of Ceuta, due to the “exceptional situation” that the Spanish city is experiencing after the crisis experienced in May with the irregular entry of some 12,000 people.
In its statement of allegations, to which Europa Press had access, the State Attorney’s Office sees formal defects in the appeal presented by two NGOs in the courts of Ceuta which paralysed the repatriation of a group of minors, a decision which was followed by the precautionary suspension of all returns adopted by the local authorities.
The Advocate believes that these formal defects may have caused defencelessness, as the Government of Ceuta was not heard beforehand and the work carried out by the local social services was not taken into account. In this regard, it points out that the Ceuta Government is responsible for overseeing the guardianship and care of minors, following the activation of the 2007 bilateral agreement.
The Advocacy refers to the “more than verified situation of exceptionality, abnormality and humanitarian emergency” in Ceuta, with 758 minors in local temporary centres. “The weighting of the general interest must consider the effective application of the 2007 Agreement”, it adds.
