Attacked from all sides in Spain, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Wednesday defended his turn to Western Sahara and promised "
more solid
" relations with Morocco, which was waiting for this gesture to end its estrangement with Madrid.
Read alsoMadrid chooses Rabat in Western Sahara
“
We are ending a
diplomatic crisis” with Rabat but “
the most important thing is that we are laying the foundations for a much more solid, much stronger relationship with the Kingdom of Morocco
said Pedro Sanchez during a visit to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, located on the northern coast of Morocco.
It was the first time that the Spanish Prime Minister spoke publicly on this subject since the announcement on Friday of Spain's support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal for the former Spanish colony.
Caused by the reception in Spain in April of the leader of the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, to be treated there for Covid, the quarrel between Rabat and Madrid had led to the arrival in mid-May of more than 10,000 migrants in Ceuta thanks to loosening of controls on the Moroccan side.
"
It was not sustainable for Spain to have broken relations
" with "
a strategic country like Morocco
", underlined Pedro Sanchez.
"Realistic" Moroccan autonomy plan
Central element for Madrid, Pedro Sanchez assured that this "
normalization
" of relations with Rabat would make it possible to "
consolidate
" the "
migration control
from Morocco, where most of the migrants leave for the Spanish coast.
Morocco has been regularly suspected by many observers of using illegal immigration as a means of pressure on Spain.
The Western Sahara conflict has pitted Morocco against the Polisario Front, supported by Algiers, for decades.
Rabat, which controls nearly 80% of this territory, is proposing an autonomy plan under its sovereignty while the Polisario is calling for a self-determination referendum.
Displaying so far a position of neutrality, Madrid now publicly considers that the Moroccan autonomy plan is "
the most serious, realistic and credible basis for the resolution of this dispute
".
A "
turnaround
which caused Algiers to recall its ambassador to Spain on Saturday.
Read alsoTension rises in Western Sahara
Criticized by his allies on the left and by the opposition on the right, Pedro Sanchez defended the decision of his government which, according to him, only “
deepens the position already expressed by other Spanish governments
” in the past and "
following the position taken by other powerful nations
" such as "
France and Germany
".
