The crisis in Ceuta has unleashed the maximum alarm in the Government of Pedro Sánchez. The president has canceled a trip to Paris and has made an appearance without questions on the steps of La Moncloa, with a tone of utmost gravity, in which he has opened the door to use any type of method necessary to guarantee borders and integrity Spanish territorial. Sánchez has not concealed the seriousness of the "unusual" crisis, although he has avoided a direct attack on Morocco, on the contrary, he has called on this country to resolve the situation as good neighbors "with respect for territorial integrity." "The territorial integrity of the borders of Ceuta and Melilla, which are also the borders of the EU, will be defended by the Government of Spain at all times, under any circumstance and with all necessary means",the president has finished off in a tone that was not a mere migratory crisis but something much more serious.
The Government does not want to speak publicly about the causes of this crisis, and refuses to link Morocco's reaction with Spain's decision to host, for humanitarian reasons, according to the Executive, the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Gali, so that he can be treated as a serious illness in a hospital in Logroño.
But the evidence that Morocco, a key ally that Sánchez has taken great care of, is letting thousands of young people and adolescents swim to Ceuta has the Executive dislodged.
In video, the statements of Pedro Sánchez.A.Ortega.POOL - Europa Press / VIDEO: QUALITY
Sánchez has been carrying out all kinds of diplomatic efforts since Monday to pressure Morocco and convince them to stop the wave of immigrants that surround the Ceuta fence and threaten to cross it at any time. The president spoke with the head of EU Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, and the president of the Council, Charles Michel. Spain has managed to get the EU to get involved and there are messages to that effect at this time. But not that Morocco changes the line, at least not for now.
Sánchez has also spoken with King Felipe VI and with the leader of the opposition, Pablo Casado, in a clear example of the seriousness of the crisis. Casado, in the PP statement after the conversation, has used a very measured tone and has avoided direct criticism of the president, which also gives an idea that the situation is serious. The PP demands that Sánchez return to normality and guarantee territorial integrity. The popular govern in Ceuta, and its president, Juan Jesús Vivas, is in permanent contact with Casado and has also spoken with Sánchez.
Spain claims that it is not only its border that Morocco is putting in danger by allowing thousands of minors and young people to swim across it. It is also that of the European Union. So far it has already got the European Commission involved. The messages have multiplied. Margaritis Schinas, vice president and head of immigration, pointed out that "the Spanish border of Ceuta is a European border" and has conveyed "full solidarity with Spain." The president, Ursula Von der Leyden, has sent a tweet in Spanish: “Europe expresses its solidarity with Ceuta and Spain. We need common European solutions to manage immigration ”. The Government hopes to redirect the situation, but diplomatic efforts have not yet borne fruit. In public, the Government avoids any critical message with Morocco,but in private the discomfort is very evident.
Sánchez has avoided any reproach to Morocco, he has not allowed questions from the press and this time La Moncloa has not even allowed journalists to follow the appearance live.
The media have had to do it through monitors, so that they could not get close, but privately the confusion with the attitude of the African country is remarkable.
“I have always believed that Morocco is a partner country and a friend of Spain and that is how it should continue to be.
As a government we have taken care of our relationships.
My wish is to further strengthen this friendly relationship with Morocco.
Human ties lead both countries to work together.
But this cooperation must be based on respect for mutual borders, which is the basis on which the relationship of friendly countries is built ”, declared the president.
Sánchez has therefore sent a double message: on the one hand, firmness and a guarantee that he will use all available means, including the Army, to defend the border, and on the other, a call to Morocco to resolve the situation through diplomatic channels, appealing to good relationship between the two countries.
In La Moncloa, the messages from Vox are of particular concern, which is using the images of thousands of people passing by to speak of "invasion." “We want to send a clear and resounding message against xenophobic messages that criminalize immigrants. The last thing we need is to stir up hatred and fear. We ask for responsibility ”, said the spokesperson, María Jesús Montero. Grande-Marlaska has claimed that Spain is quickly returning part of the immigrants who entered on Monday, but the situation is far from being controlled and the images offered by televisions, with hundreds of people waiting to jump and some swimming, have very concerned the Cabinet.
My priority at this time is to restore normalcy to Ceuta.
Its citizens must know that they have the absolute support of the Government of Spain and the utmost firmness to ensure their safety and defend their integrity as part of the country in the face of any challenge.
- Pedro Sánchez (@sanchezcastejon) May 18, 2021
In the Executive they are clear that the solution will come through diplomatic channels, when they manage to convince Morocco to control the situation as it has always done. The Government did not expect such a crisis after three years of very close relationship. Sánchez has taken special care of the relationship with the neighboring country and his ministers have forged close relations with their Moroccan counterparts. Spain has promoted a specific European fund to help the African country control its immigration, and constantly responds to Moroccan requests.
The trips of the Spanish ministers are constant and a bilateral summit was even agreed in Rabat in December that was finally postponed. The meeting, which has not yet scheduled a date, was officially suspended due to the resurgence of the covid, although the postponement was announced the same day that Donald Trump gave his support to Morocco, recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. In return, Morocco reestablished diplomatic relations with Israel. Since then, Rabat has pressured Spain to align itself with the Moroccan position, which proposes autonomy under the sovereignty of the Moroccan king as the only way out for the former Spanish colony.
Sources from the Spanish Government explain that Morocco is going through a very delicate economic situation precisely because of the pandemic, and that explains why the arrivals of boats with Moroccans to the Canary Islands, for example, have multiplied. But this latest crisis in Ceuta was not expected by anyone. The Government has chosen to be extremely cautious with Morocco and Grande-Marlaska himself, despite the evident passivity of the Moroccan police on the Ceuta border, has avoided any criticism and has insisted against all evidence that the collaboration is total.
Spain has all the diplomatic channels in place with the neighboring country to try to redirect the situation, but for the moment nothing indicates that this is close to being achieved, so the Government has chosen to send the Army and multiply the police and Civil Guard troops to convince Moroccans not to try to jump a fence that is now heavily guarded by the Spanish side.
In video, statements by the Minister of Migration, José Luis Escrivá VIDEO: EFE
In order not to bother Morocco, Sánchez has greatly softened the Spanish position on the Sahara, very different from the one defended by United We Can. The words of Pablo Iglesias, when he was still vice president, demanding a referendum, felt bad in the African country, but were quickly adjusted by a very different response from the socialist ministers and Sánchez himself. However, everything has gotten out of control after Spain's decision to host the leader of the Polisario Front. In any case, the disproportion between a humanitarian decision to care for a sick person and sending thousands of young people to risk their lives at sea as a reaction has puzzled the Spanish Government, which refuses to publicly relate the two things.
The Gaza crisis may also have its influence, according to government sources, because Morocco's decision to reestablish relations with Israel in exchange for the recognition by the US of the sovereignty of Western Sahara is internally controversial at a time when the The bombardment of the Palestinian population in Gaza is constant, and this also outrages the Moroccan population. In any case, the strongest hypothesis is the reaction of Morocco to the reception in Spain of the leader of the Polisario Front. The Spanish government now trusts that international pressure, especially from the EU, will help Morocco change its attitude, but just in case it doesn't happen, Sánchez guarantees that he will do whatever is necessary to protect the border.