Reversal of Sanchez in the Sahrawi question: a former ambassador regrets the lack of dialogue at all levels

The former Spanish ambassador to Algeria, Javier Jimenez Ugarte, regretted on Monday the “lack of dialogue and consultation” at all levels before the reversal of the head of government Pedro Sanchez in the Sahrawi dossier, assuring that the diplomatic crisis born consecutively with Algiers is “on an unimaginable scale”.

“It’s a crisis of unimaginable magnitude. At my age, it’s the first time I’ve experienced such a crisis,” acknowledged Jimenez Ugarte on Spanish television channel Antena 3, adding that “the damage is greater from what one could think (…) the damage exceeds our capacities”.

“Things turned out very badly for us (…) There was a lack of dialogue and consultation at all levels before the decision of the head of government Pedro Sanchez (to change the political position of Spain towards the Western Sahara, editor’s note)”, regretted the diplomat, stressing that this reversal has damaged “the friendship that we have had with Algeria for many years”.

Algeria decided last Wednesday to proceed with the “immediate” suspension of the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation that it concluded on October 8, 2002 with the Kingdom of Spain.

This decision was taken following the attitude adopted by the Spanish government which “is in violation of the international legality imposed on it by its status as administering power and the efforts of the United Nations and the new personal envoy of the Secretary General and contributes directly to the deterioration of the situation in Western Sahara and in the region”, explained the Presidency of the Republic.