During a visit on Wednesday to Ceuta, Pedro Sanchez explained that his government has chosen to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara to end "the unsustainable crisis of the last ten months" with Morocco.
Javier Otazu, former EFE agency correspondent in Rabat and currently posted in New York, believes that Morocco is attached to the Sahara and has managed to change Spain’s mind on this issue, but will never renounce its claim on Ceuta and Melilla.
A Spanish newspaper argues that Morocco will not renounce its claims on Ceuta and Melilla, as it assured Spain after the change in Spain’s position on the Sahara .
In his letter addressed to King Mohammed VI to declare Spain’s support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, considered as the "most serious, credible and realistic" solution to the conflict, President Pedro Sanchez does not expressly mention at any point the situation of Ceuta and Melilla. Here is a free translation of the letter.
Summoned to Congress to explain the decision to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, indicated on Wednesday that the Spanish government has chosen to be an "actor" in the Sahara conflict.
The President of Melilla, Eduardo de Castro, advocates the "controlled" reopening of the border with Morocco, after more than two years of closure.
Spain grants Morocco 30 million euros in aid each year, in addition to the more than 300 million euros in aid the kingdom receives from Europe to fight illegal immigration. Despite this significant support, migration flows continue to rise.
After breaking the world record for the half-marathon barefoot on ice and snow in 2021, Karim El Hayani will participate barefoot in the Marathon des Sables to be held in Morocco from March 27 to April 1. A difficult competition during which participants will cover 250 km in the desert.
The European Union has reacted to Spain’s new position on the Sahara issue. Madrid "considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute".
Spain is resuming flights to repatriate Moroccan migrants who arrived by boat in the Canary Islands, suspended for nearly a year. The first flight will leave Gran Canaria airport for Laâyoune with about twenty migrants on Tuesday.
The public prosecutor’s office is appealing the judge’s decision in charge of the Ghali case to keep the former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Arancha Gonzales Laya, under investigation and not her former chief of staff, Camilo Villarino .
Miguel Angel Moratinos, former Spanish Foreign Minister and UN High Representative for the Alliance of Civilizations, is pleased with the evolution of relations between Morocco and Spain, after the diplomatic crisis sparked by the entry into the country of the leader of the Polisario militia, Brahim Ghali.