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Join on Telegram Rabat – Applause, celebrations, and fake news will come as no surprise from Polisario, its advocates, and Algeria’s regime, which frequently engage in disseminating allegations to challenge Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces.
Today, King Felipe VI took to the podium of the UN General Assembly’s day two, to deliver Spain’s position on different issues, including its ties with Africa.
In regard to Africa, he briefly addressed the Western Sahara dispute, highlighting Spain’s contribution to peacekeeping in the region.
Later, he reiterated Spain’s position in support of the efforts of UN envoy Staffan de Mistura and his mission to find a solution that is “acceptable and consistent with UN norms.”
In his speech, King Felipe VI did not explicitly mention Spain’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative as the most viable political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Remarks like this – which are solely focused on support for the UN process – are frequently welcomed by the Polisario separatists and Algeria’s regime. Polisario supporters interpret such remarks as potential shifts in the global position regarding Western Sahara.
Similar allegations, however, are quickly refuted in a simple statement or a sideline meeting between Morocco’s Foreign Affairs Minister Nasser Bourita and his counterpart, Jose Manuel Albares.
Felipe’s remarks on the UN-led process could bring a short-lived relief to separatists as he also emphasized the importance of bilateral ties between Morocco and Spain during the same speech.
“I must mention the special relations of neighborliness and cooperation that bind us with the Kingdom of Morocco, which in recent years have been revitalized to the benefit of our peoples,” he explicitly said.
The statements effectively shut down rumors of a shift in Spain’s stance, as Madrid is well aware that the Sahra dispute is the lens through which Morocco evaluates cooperation and bilateral relations with the international community.
Morocco’s position was evident – especially when Spain decided to host Polisario leader Brahim Ghali for hospitalization in 2021.
Spain’s move sparked one of the most unprecedented tensions between the two countries.
Ghali traveled to Spain for hospitalization in secrecy. He entered Spain with a fake ID and passport under the name of Mohammed Ben Battouch to avoid lawsuits filed against him by victims of war crimes in the European country.
The decision sparked a flaring dispute between Rabat and Madrid. Morocco responded to Marid’s decision by describing the move as against the partnership and friendship between the two countries.
Eventually, Morocco recalled its ambassador to Spain. Tensions eased, however, when the Spanish government sacked Arancha Gonzalez Laya, the former Minister of Foreign Affairs in an attempt to reconcile and restore normalcy to relations.
The Spanish government also emphasized the importance of bilateral ties, a significant development that led Spain to join the international community to endorse the Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible basis to resolve the dispute.
Spain announced its position in March 2022, followed by the visit of PM Pedro Sanchez in April of the same year, where he announced a new chapter in bilateral ties between the two countries.
Since then, Spain has frequently reiterated support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative to deter Algeria’s regime maneuvers, seeking to reverse the European country’s endorsement for the Moroccan proposal.
