Spain Keeps Sanchez’s Sahara Autonomy Letter to Morocco Confidential

The chief of staff of the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Diego Martínez Belío, informed a Spanish media that requested to obtain a digital copy of this letter, that it was not possible to provide it to him due to the "confidential nature" of the document and in order to "preserve the bilateral relations" of Spain with Morocco or other third countries.

"The confidential nature of this document is justified," notes the chief of staff of José Manuel Albares, specifying that the letter sent by President Pedro Sanchez to the King of Morocco on March 14 is already "public knowledge", inviting the media to stick to the version of the letter published by the newspaper El País, despite the spelling mistakes it contains, due to the translation of the original text from French to Spanish.

The existence of this letter was revealed on March 18 in a statement from the Moroccan Royal Cabinet which indicated that Pedro Sanchez had expressed his support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara, which he considers "the most serious, credible and realistic basis for the resolution of this dispute". A change in Spain’s position that ended the serious diplomatic crisis between the two countries and paved the way for a "new stage" in their relations, "based on mutual respect".

On April 7, Pedro Sanchez made a visit to Rabat during which he met with Mohammed VI on sensitive issues. The joint declaration that sanctioned this meeting defined the new roadmap for relations. For its part, Algeria, in reaction to this normalization of relations between Morocco and Spain, recalled its ambassador to Madrid and suspended on June 8 its Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation with Spain.