Spanish Left Challenges Government Over Sahara Airspace Talks with Morocco

The spokesperson for the United Left (IU) in Congress, Enrique Santiago, and the deputy José Luis Bueno have tabled a series of questions on the subject in the lower house, asking the Ministry of Foreign Affairs whether these negotiations are "in accordance with international law and UN resolutions concerning the decolonization process of Western Sahara". Santiago and Bueno also want to know if the government plans to consult Congress on this matter and to associate the official representatives of the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR)" with the negotiations.

The two deputies suspect that "the ultimate goal of these negotiations seems to be to cede the air control of Western Sahara to Morocco", in order to remain in line with point 7 of the joint declaration of April 2022, signed in Rabat by King Mohammed VI and Pedro Sanchez. If this is the case, Sanchez would thus provide "a new public support" to Morocco in the conflict in the Sahara, which according to IU, is contrary to the UN resolutions "in favor of a negotiated solution within the framework of a referendum of self-determination of the Sahrawi people".

Last week, the United Left had already criticized the Foreign Minister for these talks with Morocco on the airspace of the Sahara, describing them as humiliating. On several occasions, the formation has condemned the change in Spain’s position on the Sahara, carried out by Pedro Sanchez in favor of the Moroccan autonomy plan.