The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, did not clarify yesterday before the plenary session of the Senate the specific details of the agreement between Spain and Morocco regarding Western Sahara and limited himself to reiterate that the position of the Executive is in accordance with the UN and even coincides with that of other previous Spanish governments.
Albares appeared yesterday before the Upper House to answer three questions from PP, ERC or PNV on the obvious change of course of the Government regarding the former Spanish colony, after last Friday President Pedro Sánchez told the King of Morocco, Mohamed VI, that the autonomy plan proposed by Rabat in 2007 is “the most serious, realistic and credible basis” to achieve a solution to the dispute.
During his intervention, the minister assured that Spain’s position is “very similar” to that of France and Germany and “is with the United Nations, with the United Nations Charter, with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council, including the last one, 26.02, and in support of the special envoy for Western Sahara of the UN Secretary General, Staffan de Mistura”.
Likewise, Albares said he was “surprised” by the commotion caused by the letter of Pedro Sanchez, because in 2007, when Rabat presented the proposal, the Executive of the then President Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero (PSOE) “welcomed” it and the two subsequent governments of Mariano Rajoy (PP) did not change this position. An example of this, he recalled, is that in the Spanish-Moroccan bilateral summits of 2008, 2012 and 2015 “Spain saluted Morocco’s serious and credible efforts” regarding this conflict. “There are two options: talk or contribute to unravel a conflict of more than 46 years ago with a political solution that can be accepted by all,” he added.
In any case, the minister did not want to go into details about the exact contents of the agreement with Morocco (one of the arguments presented by the Government for its reversal regarding the Sahara is the defense of the “territorial integrity” of Spain, most probably in reference to the disputes with Rabat on the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla and on the territorial waters of the Canary Islands) and limited himself to recall that he himself will appear today, Wednesday, before the Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress “to explain the new stage of relations with Morocco”.
In this regard, Senator Pilar Rojo, of the PP, demanded the Government to publish the letter of Sanchez to Mohamed VI to know the details and to have “complete information”. “What is it that they do not want us to know?” she asked. For his part, Jordi Martí, from ERC, denounced the “180-degree turn” of the Government, which has renounced to ask for the right to self-determination of the Saharawis as a “bargaining chip” to solve the diplomatic crisis with Morocco, while Estefanía Beltrán (PNV) stated that this “unilateral decision of the Government” breaks with the historical responsibility of Spain in relation to the Sahara and violates UN resolutions. Apart from this, the senator of Compromís Carles Mulet described Sánchez as a “traitor”, whom he described as a “hostage of the Moroccan regime”.
The turn given by Sanchez in the traditional position of Spain on this matter has opened a new front of discrepancies within the coalition Executive and the MPs of Unidas Podemos (partner of Government of the PSOE) exhibited yesterday in the Congress flags and symbols in support of the Saharawi people. In this regard, the parliamentary spokesman of Unidas Podemos, Pablo Echenique, declared yesterday at a press conference that respect for the right of self-determination of the Saharawis “appears in the UN resolutions and is in the electoral program of the PSOE”.
Appearance of Pedro Sánchez
On the other hand, the spokesperson of the Government, Isabel Rodriguez, announced during the press conference following the Council of Ministers that Pedro Sanchez will appear in the Congress of Deputies, “foreseeably on Wednesday of next week”, to give an account of the conclusions of the European Council, of the NATO summit, of the National Plan of response to the impact of the war and “of the new framework of relations with Morocco”. Likewise, Rodriguez declared that the agreement “closes a political crisis with Morocco for more than a year and redounds to the stability of our country and to the economic prosperity for Spain”.
Also speaking on this issue was former Prime Minister José María Aznar, who, in statements to RNE, described as a “regrettable mistake” Pedro Sánchez’s decision to modify Spain’s position on the Sahara without first consulting Parliament and warned that this change of course, which “affects a historical responsibility of Spain with the former Spanish colony”, sends “a very dangerous message of weakness” to Morocco that Spain will pay “very dearly”.
