Spain Seeks to Restart Maritime Border Talks With Morocco
Spain’s Senate is calling on the government to report within three months on maritime boundaries with Morocco. A motion adopted on Thursday also calls for talks with Rabat to resume, with the Canary Islands government involved.
The text was approved on October 1 by the General Commission of the Autonomous Communities, with support from the PP and the PNV. The PSOE voted against the non-legislative initiative put forward by Javier Armas, a senator from the Agrupación Herreña Independiente, reports Europa Press.
The requested report must detail the progress made, the outstanding issues and the steps planned. It would be sent to the Senate, the Congress and the Canary Islands executive, in accordance with confidentiality requirements.
The Canary Islands seek a place in the talks
Beyond this assessment, the motion calls for the working group between Madrid and Rabat to be reactivated, with representation from the regional government. It calls for Spain’s sovereign rights over Canary Islands waters to be preserved, without prejudging the final status of Western Sahara and in accordance with UN resolutions.
The text also calls for maritime boundary talks to be kept separate from other bilateral issues, particularly migration cooperation and border control. It also rejects unilateral actions that run counter to Spain’s sovereign rights or the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
