A Spanish newspaper argues that Morocco will not renounce its claims on Ceuta and Melilla, as it assured Spain after the change in Spain’s position on the Sahara .
In his letter addressed to King Mohammed VI to declare Spain’s support for the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara, considered as the "most serious, credible and realistic" solution to the conflict, President Pedro Sanchez does not expressly mention at any point the situation of Ceuta and Melilla. Here is a free translation of the letter.
The defense of territorial integrity, particularly in Ceuta and Melilla, was one of the conditions set by Spain to Morocco to support the Sahara autonomy plan.
Spain announced on Friday its support for Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara . In return, the kingdom has committed to respecting the "territorial integrity" of Spain, which means that it is renouncing its annexationist desires on Ceuta, Melilla and the Canary Islands.
Vox and the Popular Party (PP) clashed on Wednesday in Congress over measures to protect the Melilla border with Morocco, after the latest migrant assaults. The PP is not in favor of a permanent deployment of the armed forces at the fence, alluding to NATO protection, while Vox is advocating for it.
The former prosecutor of Zaragoza, Ramiro Grau, considers Morocco as "the enemy" of Spain. He denounces the kingdom’s policy of allowing hundreds of migrants to arrive in Ceuta and Melilla, and the passivity of the Spanish authorities who take no measures to repel these attacks.
Morocco has only sent the files of 75 minors out of the 1,300 who arrived in Ceuta last May. It is up to the Spanish government to decide whether or not to initiate the repatriation procedure for these minors.
General Fernando Alejandre Martínez, former Chief of the Defense Staff, believes that Morocco does not currently represent a direct threat to Spain and denounces the Spanish government’s policy of "turning its back on Morocco".
The president of the Confederation of Entrepreneurs of Melilla (CEME-CEOE), Enrique Alcoba, believes that the pandemic "has been the perfect excuse" for Morocco to achieve its goal of "economically suffocating Ceuta and Melilla".
The Vox party has denounced "the economic blackmail and demographic pressure" of Morocco which "prepares and organizes the assaults at its convenience". It also accuses the Spanish government of not properly fulfilling its mission of protecting the borders.
The Popular Party (PP) is about to ask the government to undertake legislative reforms to allow migrant minors to return to Morocco.
Vox remains convinced that Morocco wants to stifle Ceuta and deplores the passivity of the government. It has just sent it a question to ask what actions it intends to take to counter "Morocco’s latest initiative", the commercial zone under construction a few kilometers from the border with the autonomous city.