Join on WhatsApp 
Join on Telegram Denver – Former Spanish Defense Minister Jose Bono has urged the Spanish government to begin promoting a Western Sahara solution within the framework of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
Bono emphasized Spain’s “historical responsibility” in the Sahara conflict during a meeting of the Spanish Economic Forum on Tuesday. A member of the left-leaning and ruling Spanish Socialist Workers’ Party, the former defense minister acknowledged the post-colonial effects of Spanish rule in the Western Sahara region.
“The advantages and difficulties of a referendum must be weighed after the 30 years in which it has been impossible to hold it,” Bono stated.
He also noted Morocco’s efforts to propose an autonomy plan in the region since 2007, and the Polisario’s continued rejection of what the Spanish official described as a “serious and credible” peace initiative.
Despite claiming to be pro-Polisario, Bono maintained the Sahrawi people needed permanent solutions to their problems more than they needed meaningless UN resolutions.
During his speech, Bono also maintained the need for better relations between Spain and Morocco.
“Spain is Morocco’s first customer, Morocco’s first supplier, and Morocco’s third investor. Morocco is essential in the fight against terrorism. We have prevented attacks thanks to the support of Moroccan secret services for many years,” said Bono.
Madrid and Rabat share a close relationship with extensive historical ties, despite a recent political row that has considerably damaged the two neighbors’ relations.
The effects of the political fallout are mostly evident in the Spanish-controlled enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. In reference to these territories, Bono maintained that the cities were places of coexistence, arguing that the two cities are culturally “unquestionably African.”
Responding to attempts by right-wing Spanish politicians to strip Ceuta and Melilla of their Arab and African cultural and historical ties, Bono stated all residents of the city had a right to practice their religious and cultural beliefs free of discrimination.
“Those who pray to Christ, to Allah, and those who pray to no one, have the same right to enjoy the streets,” he concluded.
