Thursday April 7, in the evening, in front of the cameras Pedro Sanchez will share the iftar, the meal of breaking the fast of Ramadan, at the table of King Mohamed VI. It’s hard to show a more explicit sign of friendship when these two haven’t spoken to each other for almost a year. We can say that they really come back from afar.
Their differences relate to Western Sahara, a former Spanish colony in northwest Africa, of which Morocco controls 80% of the territory. But its sovereignty is disputed by an independence movement, the Polisario Front, which holds the entire eastern part and calls for a referendum on self-determination. This is what makes Western Sahara an autonomous territory, like New Caledonia, for example. These Sahrawis are largely supported by Algeria.
For decades, Spain had chosen neutrality, speaking out for a negotiated solution to the conflict, but last year, an event caused everything to go wrong. The head of the Polisario Front, seriously affected by the Covid, went for treatment in a Spanish hospital. Algeria had asked this little favor from Madrid who could not say no. And that did not please Morocco. However, the operation was supposed to take place in the greatest secrecy, with a special plane and a false identity for the independentist leader. But it was fanned, outraged Morocco cried treason; and in revenge he played on migratory pressure, he opened his border wide and in less than 48 hours, 10,000 illegal immigrants flocked to the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, therefore to the European Union.
It was clearly blackmail… and finally Spain gave in. On March 18, to everyone’s surprise, it announced that it aligned itself with the Moroccan position. Rabat proposes an autonomy plan for Western Sahara, which in reality allows it to take power over the whole territory and which, moreover, has the support of most European countries. And too bad if the Spanish government coalition sharply criticizes this volte-face. To manage migratory pressure and no longer have any problems at its borders, to no longer have any problems with its first trading partner, Madrid chooses its camp. Hoping, moreover, that in return for its gesture of goodwill, the kingdom will tone down its old claim to Ceuta and Melilla.
Except that by getting closer to Morocco, Spain gets very angry with another of its partners, Algeria, a great advocate of the Sahrawi cause. Denouncing a “turnaround”, Algiers recalled its ambassador to Spain on Saturday March 19, opening a new period of tension with an essential partner. This is really not the time to get angry with the Alégrens, who are the main gas suppliers in Spain and who have already announced that they will not make any concessions on prices. Tonight, in the mouth of Pedro Sanchez, the iftar meal may have a little trouble passing.