Moroccan Official Calls for Recovery of Ceuta and Melilla, Urges Diaspora Lobbying

The recovery of Ceuta and Melilla by Morocco will be done "without blackmail," said Enaam Mayara, during a conference, before inviting Moroccans residing in Spain to "join Spanish political parties and participate in municipal or legislative elections, to help bring the views of the two countries closer together and form a lobby that helps to defend all issues related to the homeland and territorial integrity."

Mayara therefore proposes "to form pressure groups within the Spanish political scene, capable of changing Spain’s official position on various issues in favor of Morocco." "Members of the Moroccan community must be supported to be elected as deputies to defend the interests of their homeland whenever necessary, because the role of the Moroccan community in Spain will be important in the years to come," he affirmed.

Since 1955, Istiqlal, a major Moroccan party and member of the governing coalition, has always defended the idea of a "Moroccan Sahara." With this statement by Mayara, in his dual capacity as President of the Senate and member of the executive bureau of this conservative party, Morocco is seeking to show an image of national cohesion to obtain worldwide recognition of its autonomy plan as a solution to the Sahara conflict, analyzes El Español.

But these statements by Mayara go against the agreements reached during the high-level meeting in February in Rabat. In a joint declaration, Pedro Sanchez and Aziz Akhannouch agreed on mutual respect which implies "avoiding anything that offends the other party and affects their respective spheres of sovereignty."