Spain Ousts Foreign Minister in Bid to Ease Tensions with Morocco

By removing Gonzalez Laya from his government, Pedro Sanchez is taking a step towards Morocco with whom Spain has been in crisis since April 18, the date on which Brahim Ghali was admitted to a hospital in Logroño for "humanitarian reasons". But the origins of the tension between the two countries date back to December when President Donald Trump recognized Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara. Morocco had then launched an offensive diplomacy to get Spain to follow the example of the United States, writes Ignacio Cembrero on Elconfidencial.

To read: Spain’s Foreign Minister Ousted Amid Diplomatic Crisis with Morocco

With the occurrence of the migration crisis in Ceuta, Minister González Laya had become the woman to be shot down for Rabat and for certain Spanish parties like the PP. In June, Teodoro Garcia Egea, the general secretary of the PP, had demanded the resignation of González Laya for her "calamitous" management of the diplomatic crisis with Morocco. These statements were widely relayed by the Moroccan press, and mainly by the MAP, revealing the aversion that Laya aroused for Rabat. In a statement dated May 27 in Rabat, the Moroccan ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, recalled by the Moroccan government at the start of the crisis, also accused Gonzalez Laya "of distorting the facts and making inappropriate comments".

To read: Spanish Foreign Minister Seeks Quiet Resolution to Morocco Diplomatic Crisis

According to the Moroccan press, the departure of Gonzalez Laya is indeed a gesture of appeasement on the part of Sanchez, but "will it be enough to turn the page on the crisis between Rabat and Madrid?", wonder some Moroccan media who believe that Rabat will continue to insist that the Spanish government review its position on the Sahara.

Manuel Albares, 49, a career diplomat, is the new head of Spanish diplomacy. He had been Spain’s ambassador to France for 18 months. For Morocco, Luis Planas, the Minister of Agriculture, would have been a good choice for this position given his background. Former Spanish ambassador to Rabat (2004-2010), he also favors the autonomy offer for Western Sahara formulated in 2007 by Morocco.