Morocco Seeks Arab Support in Dispute with Spain over Ceuta and Melilla

After obtaining the support of the United States, which has recognized its sovereignty in the Sahara, Morocco is seeking the help of Arab countries to recover the autonomous cities of Ceuta and Melilla.

In a statement published on Saturday, the Democratic and Social Forum in the Arab World, composed of political parties from various Arab countries including Syria, Egypt, Somalia, Palestine, Lebanon, Jordan and Bahrain, said it "rejects the Spanish policy based on the separation of the two cities from their historical, cultural and social roots."

"The migration crisis on the borders of Ceuta is not a cause, but rather a consequence of Spain’s reception of Brahim Ghali under a false identity," the Forum states, also calling on the EU to review its migration policy in the Mediterranean, which it considers "colonialist" and "based on the promotion of the trafficking of goods on the one hand; and on the rejection of the free movement of people on the other."

Many Spanish political figures have officially invited the government of Pedro Sánchez to review its position with Morocco, following the mass influx of Moroccan migrants into Ceuta. José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Felipe González, Alfonso Guerra, José Bono, Josep Piqué, Ana Palacios and José Manuel García-Margallo have stressed the need for a more conciliatory stance towards Morocco in order to avoid a breakdown in relations.

Relations between Morocco and Spain have been tense since the reception in April of the Polisario leader, Brahim Ghali, for "humanitarian reasons." Accused of torture, genocide and human rights violations, he will appear on Tuesday, June 1 by videoconference from the hospital in Logroño where he was admitted.