Former Spanish Defense Minister Endorses Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for Sahara

Doha – Former Spanish Defense Minister José Bono has asserted that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the Sahrawis “the most efficient formula” for resolving the long-standing territorial dispute over Western Sahara.

According to the Spanish news outlet ABC, Bono made these statements on Thursday before participating in the “III International Conference for Dialogue and Peace in the Western Sahara” held in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria.

“In this moment I believe it is the most efficient position to achieve the objective that brings us together here. We haven’t come to prioritize one political force over another; I am here because my interest is the welfare of the Sahrawi people,” Bono declared.

The former defense minister stressed that the Sahara needs “more than resolutions that are not fulfilled,” pointing out that the Sahrawi people in Tindouf require solutions to live with dignity, including access to food, education, and healthcare “which at this moment they don’t have.”

He also articulated that they should not have to live on “international charity that is normally always self-interested.”

“Additionally,” he continued, “it must be organized democratically, and I think the most effective formula for the Sahrawis is the one proposed by the Kingdom of Morocco: an autonomous regime that recognizes a differentiated reality that exists.”

Bono referenced the development that Morocco’s southern provinces have been witnessing, noting that the Polisario-run Tindouf camps are not the same as a Moroccan province.

Advocating for an agreed upon political resolution, he said that the solution is in “negotiation, the solution is in the path of autonomy.”

Former Spanish Prime Minister José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero also participated in the conference via teleconference, endorsing dialogue as the path to peace.

Zapatero voiced that “peace begins with dialogue, with words, with respect, with recognition of the other,” which he contended is what the Sahrawi Peace Movement represents.

Spanish support for Morocco’s Sahara position

In March 2022, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announced his government’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan, describing it as “the only and most viable basis for a genuine political solution to the Sahara dispute.”

Spain’s position shift represented a historic turning point in the diplomatic ties between the two countries, following a serious rift that began in April 2021 following a serious rift that began in April 2021 when Spain hosted Polisario leader Brahim Ghali.

Morocco had been adamant that re-establishing relations with Madrid could only happen on the basis of mutual respect, loyalty, and transparency regarding the Sahara issue.

Reports suggest Spain is now considering delegating air navigation services for Saharan airspace to Morocco. Morocco has reportedly expanded its control to approximately 20% of Western Sahara’s airspace.

This development goes in line with the broader roadmap established during Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s visit to Morocco in April 2022.

Senator Aniceto Javier Armas González raised the issue formally in the Spanish Senate, while ENAIRE, Spain’s state-owned air navigation company, has distanced itself from the controversy.

Spanish Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares confirmed ongoing discussions but espoused a narrative of cooperation, saying: “Point 7 of the joint declaration concerns the improvement of airspace management, and this is what we are pursuing.”

Morocco’s diplomatic gains on the Sahara dispute extend beyond the Iberian Peninsula. The United States recognized Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara in December 2020, dealing what many analysts described as a diplomatic earthquake to Algeria and the Polisario Front.

France recently joined this position by recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara, triggering strong reactions from Algeria.

Since returning to the African Union in 2017, Morocco has also successfully shifted continental dynamics in its favor.

The number of African countries that recognize the self-proclaimed Sahrawi “Republic” has decreased from more than 30 to 15, with 28 countries opening consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla, including 22 African states.