Spain’s Sahara Policy Shift: King Felipe VI Not Involved in Morocco Negotiations

Despite the good relations between the Spanish and Moroccan royal houses, King Felipe VI did not intervene in the negotiations with Morocco that led to the Spanish government’s decision to support the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, according to Vozpópuli, noting that sources consulted at the Spanish royal house recalled that "the foreign policy of Spain is a constitutional prerogative of the government."

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The same sources do not specify whether Pedro Sanchez informed Felipe VI of the letter he addressed to Mohammed VI, in which he clearly expressed Spain’s support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara. For its part, the Moncloa also does not confirm whether Sanchez kept Felipe VI informed of these exchanges with Mohammed VI, nor do sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who admit not knowing whether this information was brought to the attention of the King of Spain.

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In truth, Felipe VI was not informed of this important decision, which is unusual, according to diplomatic sources who explain that generally, these types of communications are made between governments or between royal houses. The same sources recall that Sanchez had contacted his Moroccan counterpart at the end of 2020 to agree on a visit to Morocco in 2021 which never materialized, among other things due to the arrival of Brahim Ghali in Spain.

To read: Spanish Leaders to Visit Morocco Following Diplomatic Thaw over Western Sahara

Pedro Sanchez therefore took the risk of negotiating directly with the Moroccan sovereign. In his letter dated March 14, he expressed to the Moroccan monarch Spain’s willingness to "build a new relationship," based on "mutual respect, respect for agreements..." to "avoid crises" between the two countries and strengthen "cooperation in the management of migratory flows in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic" and "restore full normality in the movement of people and goods." All these issues will be on the agenda of Albares’ next visit to Rabat on April 1.