Spain and Morocco put an end, Friday, March 18, to almost a year of major diplomatic estrangement linked to the question of the disputed territory of Western Sahara, after a radical change in Madrid’s position.
“We are entering a new stage in our relationship with Morocco based on mutual respect, respect for agreements, the absence of unilateral actions and transparency and permanent communication”the Spanish government wrote in a statement.
This announcement comes after the publication of a press release from the Moroccan royal palace reporting a message from the Spanish Prime Minister, Pedro Sanchez, stating that the Moroccan plan “autonomy” for the disputed territory of Western Sahara is “the most serious, realistic and credible basis for the resolution of the dispute”.
If the Spanish government does not take up this message in its press release, it emphasizes that this “step will take place within the framework of a clear and ambitious roadmap as indicated by the press releases of the Government of Morocco”.
Rabat controls nearly 80% of Western Sahara
Madrid also announces that a visit by Pedro Sanchez to Morocco – the date of which has not been communicated – is scheduled and that the Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, will visit Rabat. ” Before the end of the month “ within the framework of this normalization of relations between the two countries.
The conflict in Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony considered a “non-autonomous territory” by the UN, has pitted Morocco against the Sahrawi separatists of the Polisario Front, supported by Algiers, for decades. Rabat, which controls nearly 80% of Western Sahara, is proposing an autonomy plan under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front is calling for a self-determination referendum.
The diplomatic quarrel between Madrid and Rabat was caused in April 2021 by the reception in Spain, for treatment of Covid-19, of the leader of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali.
In May, it resulted in the massive arrival of migrants of Moroccan origin in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, on the northern coast of Morocco, who took advantage of a relaxation of border surveillance on the Moroccan side.