Eduardo González
Sumar, the leftist party of acting vice president Yolanda Díaz, has harshly criticized Spanish Television (TVE) for having broadcast information about the 2030 World Cup accompanied by a map of Morocco in which “Western Sahara appeared included in Moroccan territory.”
In a written parliamentary question addressed to the Board of Directors of the RTVE Corporation and signed by MP Enrique Santiago, Sumar regrets that, “due to information about the soccer World Cup to be organized by Spain, Portugal and Morocco,” the TV news program TVE midday on October 5 projected, “accompanying said information, a map where Western Sahara appeared included in Moroccan territory.”
“Intentionally mixing Western Sahara with Morocco in public entity information could mean joining the wishes of the Alawite monarchy so that the international community accepts its plans as an occupying force on the future of the Sahara, even knowing that the United Nations is calling for the start of a decolonization process by considering that the occupation of Western Sahara by Morocco is illegal,” Santiago continues.
“It is one thing for Morocco to take center stage in the World Cup by announcing the candidacy before Spain, Portugal and FIFA itself, and it would be quite another to bless by action or omission an illegal occupation and unilateral plans for the future of the Sahara,” warns Sumar’s MP.
For this reason, Enrique Santiago asks TVE if “it has received instructions from the Government to use in its information a map of Morocco contrary to the United Nations agreements that do not recognize the annexation of the Sahara.” Likewise, it requests that information be provided on who is “ultimately responsible” for this decision and on “what actions will be carried out to prevent public television from feeding information contrary to the United Nations agreements and Spain’s own position on Western Sahara”.
On October 25, the representative of the Polisario Front in Spain, Abdulah Arabi, criticized Sumar for not including the recovery of Spain’s traditional position regarding Western Sahara in his government agreement with the PSOE, in reference to the decision of the Government of Pedro Sánchez to support the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco for the former Spanish colony. Sumar’s electoral program in the general elections on July 23 included the commitment to “quickly reverse the change in position adopted in 2022 with respect to Western Sahara” and to use “all channels of influence in the conflict to fully support the right to self-determination of the people of Western Sahara.”
