Pedro Sanchez Walks a Fine Line on Western Sahara during Audience with King Mohammed VI
BY: Dr. Hana Saada
ALGIERS-Pedro Sanchez, the President of the Spanish government, was unquestionably expected to discuss the highly sensitive and important matter of Western Sahara’s decolonization during his trip to Morocco, which marked the first of its kind since his reelection as the head of the Spanish Executive. Despite elevated anticipations, Sanchez’s position seemed subtly nuanced during his meeting with King Mohammed VI, as indicated by a statement released by the royal palace in Rabat.
“During the meeting, the President of the Spanish government reaffirmed to His Majesty the King, may Allah protect him, Spain’s stance, as outlined in the joint declaration of April 2022, viewing the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the most substantial, realistic, and trustworthy foundation for addressing this conflict. His Majesty the King expressed gratitude to Spain for this fresh and significant stance,” the statement conveyed.
Yet conspicuously missing from the statement was a clear and unambiguous endorsement of the Moroccan autonomy proposal. Given the Moroccan authorities’ inclination to manipulate statements and distort the positions of political leaders, there persists skepticism regarding the genuine intent behind Sanchez’s statements. It’s worth recalling Morocco’s history of speaking on behalf of Staffan de Mistura, the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, to the extent of drawing reprimands from Antonio Guterres’s spokesperson, Stéphane Dujaric.
Nevertheless, Sanchez skillfully handled the situation, prompting Moroccan authorities to refer to a joint declaration from over a year ago. Ultimately, Spain maintains its commitment to upholding international law, which inherently implies the necessity of holding a self-determination referendum for the Sahrawi people.
Similarly, the statement recognized the Moroccan initiative extended to Sahel countries to expand access to the Atlantic. Yet, it is important to acknowledge that this announcement may encounter various political, technical, geostrategic, and financial hurdles in its implementation. The main aim of this ambitious project appears to be an effort to strain Algeria’s relations with its southern allies and neighbors.
Translated from: La Patrie News
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