Sahara: Madrid’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan is good for Spain, for Mediterranean – Spanish Defense Minister

The Spanish government’s support to Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara is a “good decision for Spain and for the whole Mediterranean region”, stressed Spanish Defense Minister María Margarita Robles on Tuesday.

By supporting autonomy as “the most serious, realistic and credible basis” for resolving this dispute, the government “has taken the best decision for Spain,” said Robles, who was the guest on Spanish TV Channel ‘Trece’.

“When a decision of this kind is taken, all the necessary elements of judgment are in place. In this context, the president of the government, Pedro Sánchez, has taken the best decision for Spain,” she assured.

In addition, the Spanish Defense Minister said the decision of the coalition government is “the result of a reflection and evaluation of the situation.”

On Monday, the Spanish Secretary of State for Foreign and Global Affairs, Ángeles Moreno Bau, said that the position of her country on the Moroccan Sahara is “consistent” and “respects international law.”

Spain has adopted a “position that is consistent with the decisions taken by previous governments, and which fully respects international law,” said Bau before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Spanish Senate.

“The Spanish government defends a position that is in line with the principles and parameters of the UN Charter and its resolutions,” the Spanish official insisted, noting that this position also stems from Spain’s desire to contribute to regional stability.

“Promoting stability in our immediate neighborhood in the Mediterranean and the Sahel is one of the priorities of this government in a particularly volatile and uncertain geopolitical context. The security of the southern shore is a priority for Spain and for the European Union,” observed the Secretary of State.

“The settlement of the Sahara dispute, which has lasted for almost half a century, requires a determined effort on the part of the international community (…) and would allow us to resume the path of greater regional integration, which would benefit our peoples and lead to greater stability and prosperity in the Mediterranean,” argued the Spanish official.

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez had sent a letter to King Mohammed VI on March 18 clearly voicing Spain’s support of Morocco’s autonomy plan as «the most serious, realistic and credible» basis for settling the artificial dispute around the Sahara territory.

Sanchez who visited Morocco early April and held talks with King Mohammed VI later explained before Spanish MPs that Spain’s move was the result of the country’s willingness to contribute actively to settling the conflict that lasted for 50 years.

“The decision we have taken on the Sahara is a further step on the path that began 14 years ago when the Spanish government welcomed the autonomy plan presented by Morocco as a valuable contribution to the solution of a deadlocked conflict,” he had pointed out before the Spanish Parliament.

After many years of conflict and status quo in the negotiation process, the Spanish government considers that the autonomy proposed by Morocco is the basis on which there are more possibilities to build a solution to the Sahara issue, Sanchez had stressed, noting that his country “logically recognizes the efforts made by Morocco in this direction.”