Spain’s Opposition Party Shifts Foreign Policy Approach on Morocco

The PP stressed that the latest foreign policy decisions taken by Pedro Sanchez, in particular the historic change in the position on the Sahara, have disastrous consequences for Spain on several fronts. But for some time now, the party’s discourse towards Morocco has changed. The reason is that Alberto Núñez Feijóo has asked to "analyze with a magnifying glass" each issue related to Morocco before taking any position in order "not to make things worse". The PP thus wants to try to return to Spain’s neutral position on the Sahara. "It is clear that if we are going to govern as we hope, we have to take care of Morocco," they let it be known.

Leader Esteban González Pons had deplored the absence of Mohammed VI at the High-Level Meeting held in early February in Rabat. "There is no greater humiliation than to give everything to Morocco, to go with half the government to satisfy, to stage yourself in the European Parliament, for the king not to receive you and for you to be content with him picking up the phone," he had written on Twitter. At the request of the PP and the PSOE, Sanchez will have to appear shortly before Congress to provide details on the agreements concluded with Morocco during this summit.

The PP supported Podemos’ proposal to grant nationality to Sahrawis born during the colonial era, which was voted by Congress two weeks ago. The official position of the party, defended on this occasion by the deputy from the Balearic Islands Miquel Jerez, is clear: neutrality and total respect for Morocco. "We propose serenity and respect, without offending anyone, without opening unnecessary wounds or deteriorating our international relations. Without committing the same blunders that the Sanchez government has committed with the Sahara, with Morocco and with Algeria in just 24 hours," he said.

The PP believes that the government has not assessed or studied the consequences of the change in position on the Sahara on trade, migration flows and, above all,