In his report to the Security Council on the Moroccan Sahara issue, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres highlighted Spain’s position that “considers that the autonomy plan presented by Morocco in 2007 is the most serious, credible and realistic basis for resolving” this dispute.
Mr Guterres’ report cites the letter sent on 14 March 2022 to His Majesty King Mohammed VI by the head of the Spanish government, stating Spain’s position on the issue.
According to information from the newspaper La vie éco, Spain’s support for the autonomy initiative is a further recognition of the credibility of the Moroccan proposal and the fact that it comes from Spain, given its historical role as a former colonial power, reinforces its weight and symbolism.
Algeria as antagonist
The report also refers to Algeria’s reaction, which, in opposition to Spain’s sovereign decision, decided to recall its ambassador from Madrid for consultations, and resorted to its usual intimidation tactics by suspending the Treaty of Friendship, Neighbourhood and Cooperation with Spain.
The Polisario Front follows Algeria’s lead
Similarly, the UN Secretary General’s report mentions the virulent reaction of the ‘Polisario’ which, following this letter, decided to suspend its contacts with the Spanish government, thus mimicking its Algerian parent.
However, Spain’s decision, which is in line with the growing international recognition of Morocco’s legitimate rights over its Sahara, only reaffirms the realism, pragmatism and seriousness of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, supported by the Security Council and more than 90 countries around the world, as the basis for the resolution of this regional dispute.
As a reminder, the Polisario Front, a shortened form of the Spanish Frente Popular de Liberación de Saguía el Hamra y Río de Oro, also known as Frelisario at the beginning of its existence, is a political and armed movement in Western Sahara, created in 1973 to fight against the Spanish occupation.
