Morocco Demands Clear Spanish Stance on Western Sahara Before Diplomatic Thaw

The process of resuming relations between Morocco and Spain is faltering. The crisis of confidence persists between the two countries. In particular, Morocco is still waiting for Spain to "clarify, without ambiguity, its choices, its decisions and its positions," the Moroccan diplomacy said in May. But so far, Spain’s attitude does not seem to reassure Morocco, which prefers to move forward cautiously.

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The dynamism of the new Spanish minister, José Manuel Albares, who arrived in mid-July after the departure of Arancha Gonzales Laya swept away by the Ghali affair, has allowed Spain to resume contact with the Moroccan authorities. In all, he will have exchanged only twice with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita. The first time, on September 21 by phone, where the two officials agreed to meet very soon, and the second time, on November 28, "when Bourita called Albares to apologize for not being able to attend the Union for the Mediterranean (UfM) forum, which was held on the 29th in Barcelona," recalls ABC.

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Bourita’s presence at the UfM "would undoubtedly have been a good framework to make a rapprochement with Morocco visible, which could even have led to a bilateral meeting. But Morocco avoided the face-to-face between Bourita and Albares, because it is waiting for a big gesture from Spain to start over... That it puts forward the image of "a friendly country and a strategic partner," analyzes ABC.

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"If Spain changed its position and broke with its traditional position on the Western Sahara, other countries would observe it and perhaps follow the line it has drawn," Haizam Amirah Fernández, a researcher on the Mediterranean and the Arab world, explained recently.