4 days ago
'Popular Party' Insists On Madrid's Retraction Of Its Position On Western Sahara
Relations between the Moroccan regime and Spain's leading political force are heading for further escalation, with relations with Algeria and the position on the Sahrawi issue in the background, in the biggest crisis between Rabat and Madrid since Spain changed its position on the Western Sahara issue more than three years ago.
Relations between Rabat and Madrid are experiencing a non-silent crisis marked by statements and counter-statements, which erupted since the conservative Spanish Popular Party strongly attacked its country's government at its general conference about a week ago, on the grounds that the ruling party's position on the Sahrawi issue harmed relations with Algeria, which it described as a 'neighboring and great country'.
For the second time in a week, the Popular Party, a strong candidate to lead the Spanish government after the upcoming legislative elections, affirmed that its position on relations with Algeria and the Sahrawi issue is 'declared and known'.
The party also affirmed on Monday, according to 'Europa Press agency', that in any case, Spanish foreign policy 'is not subordinate to others', in reference to what it considers the ruling party's subordination, led by Pedro Sánchez, the Prime Minister, to external influences that led to Spain changing its position on the Sahrawi issue and the resulting crises with Algeria.
The official spokesperson for the Spanish Popular Party and Deputy Minister of Culture, Borja Sémper, was asked at the press conference following the meeting of the party's steering committee whether its president, Alberto Núñez Feijóo, planned to respond to the letter sent to him by the head of the Moroccan Istiqlal Party, Nizar Baraka, regarding the ambiguity of the Spanish party's position. He replied: 'Our position is declared and known, unlike the decisions taken by this government regarding (Western) Sahara, which are secret.'
Although the Spanish party is not in power, even if it is a strong candidate for it, its position caused an earthquake for the Moroccan regime, which was reflected in the state of confusion that characterized Rabat's positions.
It proceeded to close two customs offices in the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, a clear retreat from the agreement to normalize relations between the two countries in the spring of 2022 after Sánchez changed his position on the Sahrawi issue. The 'Istiqlal Party', which is the political arm of the Moroccan regime, also attacked its Spanish counterpart because of the concluding statement of its conference, which was previously referred to, accusing it of a lack of clarity in its position on the Western Sahara issue, as well as hosting representatives of the Polisario Front.
The Popular Party leader added: 'We have always expressed the same position,' stressing: 'We have always expressed the same position, and it is the position we adhere to today as well,' in a clear and explicit challenge to the Moroccan regime and its political arm, the Istiqlal Party, where he stressed that his party calls for 'respect for international law and United Nations resolutions,' knowing that United Nations resolutions call for organizing a self-determination referendum in Western Sahara, based on the ceasefire agreement signed in 1991, and the United Nations still maintains a mission to organize the referendum in Western Sahara, which is called 'MINURSO'.
In a message to Pedro Sánchez's government, the spokesperson for the Popular Party (PP) said that 'our country's foreign policy is decided by our country.' Sémper added: 'It is not subject to or influenced by other countries,' in reference to the firm belief among many specialists and observers in Spain that the Sánchez government's decision to change its position on the Sahrawi issue came in the context of pressure it was subjected to by the Moroccan regime, which used the migrant card to 'subdue' Sánchez.
The Popular Party leader also explained: 'We have defined our position, and we believe that Spain should define its position based on the interests of the Spanish people and our traditions, also in some areas, especially in this area.'
It is worth noting that the opposition Popular Party had strongly criticized the Madrid government's change of position on the Sahrawi issue, and on many occasions led attempts to withdraw confidence, but the game of alliances prevented that. However, the involvement of Sánchez's family and his party's entourage have significantly weakened his chances of remaining at the head of the government after the upcoming legislative elections.
