Spain Backs Morocco’s Sahara Plan as Territorial Dispute Eases

This is one of the conditions set by the Spanish government to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, El Periódico de España believes. The Spanish government has recognized that "the Moroccan autonomy initiative is the most serious, realistic and credible solution to the conflict that has been going on since 1975" and Morocco, in turn, has committed to respecting the "territorial integrity" of Spain. These are the terms of the agreement concluded between the two countries and which marks the beginning of a "new stage" in their strained relations for nearly a year.

To read: Spain Signals Shift in Western Sahara Policy, Potentially Aligning with Morocco

If for Morocco, the change in Spain’s position on the Sahara issue was a sine qua non condition for the resumption of diplomatic relations, the protection of Ceuta and Melilla from Morocco’s annexationist desires was essential for Spain, which fears an intensification of the Moroccan claim on the two autonomous cities and the Canary Islands, once the Sahara issue has been resolved.

To read: Morocco’s "Hybrid Strategy" Aims to Claim Spanish Enclaves, Report Warns

The crisis between Spain and Morocco began when Spain refused to recognize the Moroccanness of the Sahara, as the United States did under Trump in December 2020. In response, Morocco suspended the high-level meeting, before tensions escalated with the entry into Spain, last April, of Brahim Ghali, the leader of the Polisario Front, and the assaults of migrants in Ceuta that followed in May, not to mention the repeated assaults on the Melilla fence.