The Spanish state has a legal, political and moral responsibility in Western Sahara as its colonial power. It has never assumed its obligations or respected the legitimate rights of the Sahrawi people.
By CARMELO RAMÍREZ MARRERO – canarias7.es – The PSOE MEP, López Aguilar recently declared in relation to the holding of this bilateral summit that “in relations with Morocco, if you have to swallow toads, you swallow them”. This categorical statement clearly reflects the behaviour of the Spanish Prime Minister and the PSOE in relation to Morocco. What are some of these toads?
Toad No. 1.- Unilateral recognition of Moroccan sovereignty in Western Sahara.
This has been and is Morocco’s essential objective in its relations with the government of Pedro Sánchez, as the Moroccan prime minister has reiterated in all his appearances. This implies not only another betrayal of the Saharawi people, but also a violation of international law and the many UN resolutions that provide for the holding of a referendum on self-determination as a matter of unfinished decolonisation. Pedro Sánchez makes this illegal recognition of Morocco against the will of the Spanish Congress of Deputies and without submitting it to his Government.
Toad No. 2 – The Spanish government does not assume its responsibility as a colonial power in Western Sahara.
The Spanish State has a legal, political and moral responsibility in Western Sahara as its colonial power. It has never assumed its obligations or respected the legitimate rights of the Saharawi people. To make matters worse, distinguished members of the PSOE, such as Felipe González, Rodríguez Zapatero, José Bono, Moratinos, López Aguilar and others are very active in favour of the violent Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara, in contravention of the resolutions of the PSOE congresses.
Spain’s legal responsibility is made very clear by the Resolution of the Audiencia Nacional, in 2014, presided over by Judge Grande Marlaska.
Toad No. 3 – Failure to censure the Moroccan government in its permanent violation of human rights in Western Sahara.
Pedro Sánchez looks the other way while the Government of Mohamed VI harshly represses the Sahrawi population in the Occupied Territories. Arbitrary arrests, torture in Moroccan prisons, assassinations, persecutions, life sentences in trials without the minimum procedural guarantees, such as the trial of the Gdeim Izik activists, expulsion from Western Sahara of delegations of human rights organisations and institutional representatives, torture of Saharawi activists such as those suffered by Sultana Hayat and her family in Boujdour, are just some examples that have been denounced in the Human Rights Council in Geneva. Pedro Sánchez keeps quiet about all this during his visit.
Toad No. 4 – Favouring the plundering of natural resources in Western Sahara by the government of Mohamed VI.
Pedro Sánchez favours this plundering by the Moroccan government in Western Sahara by supporting economic and fishing agreements that Morocco illegally applies in Western Sahara and that plunder wealth such as fishing, phosphates, minerals, agricultural products, etc. Recent judgments of the Court of Justice of the European Union in 2019 and 2021 state that “Western Sahara does not belong to Moroccan sovereignty and that the natural and economic resources of this territory belong to the Saharawi people”. Several European countries, including Spain, have lodged appeals in support of Morocco’s plunder. Pedro Sánchez keeps quiet about these abuses.
Toad No. 5 – Pedro Sánchez’s silence in the face of Mohamed VI’s government’s intention to extend the Territorial Sea in the waters of Western Sahara close to the Canary Islands.
The Moroccan expansionist pretensions promoting the extension of the Territorial Sea in the waters of Western Sahara is an element of confrontation with the Canary Islands and introduces a factor of insecurity for the Canary Islands. The government of Mohamed VI has already approved two laws that invade Canary Islands territory by illegally using its occupation of Western Sahara, a territory over which its sovereignty is not recognised by the UN, nor by the Court of Justice of the European Union, nor by the International Court of Justice. Pedro Sánchez’s weakness in not firmly opposing this claim by Mohamed VI is compounded by Morocco’s illegal and unilateral recognition of its sovereignty over Western Sahara. This does not contribute to the peace of mind of the Canary Islands, given the background and especially considering the existence of minerals and rare earths in the waters near the Canary Islands.
Toad no. 6. – Pedro Sánchez’s submissive acceptance of blackmail by the government of Mohammed VI in bilateral relations.
Morocco’s blackmail is unacceptable, as it constantly uses emigration as a bargaining chip, demanding unacceptable quid pro quos and opening the gates when it sees fit. Using migratory pressure and the desperation of millions of Africans living in extreme poverty is not only politically and morally reprehensible, but reflects the cruelty of the Moroccan government in achieving its objectives. Equally reprehensible are its claims to sovereignty over the cities of Ceuta and Melilla, which it will continue to use intermittently.
Toad No. 7. – Pedro Sánchez’s silence in the face of alleged Moroccan spying on his mobile phones.
The news that the Pegasus device, created by Israel, has been used to access personal information from the phones of Pedro Sánchez and several Spanish government ministers, as well as journalists and people linked to the Sahrawi cause in Spain and other countries, has been scandalous. What information do they have on Pedro Sánchez and his ministers? Why does Pedro Sánchez remain silent and humiliate himself so much before the government of Mohamed VI? From the point of view of a democratic system and respect for legality, this is intolerable and constitutes an unspeakable aggression. It is clear that the Moroccan intelligence and espionage services are very active in Spain and especially in the Canary Islands.
Toad No. 8. – Pedro Sánchez’s order to the Spanish PSOE MEPs to vote against the European Parliament’s condemnation of Mohamed VI’s government for the corruption cases promoted by Moroccogate.
The brazenness of Mohamed VI’s government knows no limits. The European Parliament has been the scene that has exposed its usual ‘modus operandi’. Corruption pure and simple. Buying the will of MEPs with a lot of money to influence their votes has called into question the credibility of the European institution in its relations with Morocco (economic agreements, fisheries agreement, the issue of Western Sahara, the plundering of economic resources, the violation of human rights in Western Sahara, etc.). The strong reaction of the European Parliament condemning the Moroccan government for these practices was immediate. In this context, Pedro Sánchez ordered the PSOE MEPs to vote against the condemnation of Mohamed VI’s government. This is inexplicable if it were not for the adulation he practices towards Mohamed VI, whatever the issue.
Toad No. 9. – Offer the Moroccan government the head of former Foreign Minister Gonzalez Laya for defending the UN framework for the resolution of the Western Sahara conflict.
The replacement, decreed by Pedro Sánchez, of the former Minister of Foreign Affairs responds to the demand of the Government of Mohamed VI to take a stand in defence of International Legality in the Western Sahara conflict. It is a new humiliation. The replacement in the foreign affairs portfolio is Albares, whose great merit is to present himself as “the great friend of the government of Mohammed VI”. It is degrading to have Albares as foreign minister with a permanent sycophancy towards Mohammed VI and his government. He is a real puppet at the service of Moroccan interests, repeating like a parrot the arguments dictated by Morocco.
Toad No. 10. – Accepting the humiliation of Mohammed VI’s absence at this summit, because he was on holiday in Gabon.
It is incredible that Pedro Sánchez has accepted this meeting, with the absence of Mohamed VI, after several years of preparing this bilateral summit. It is a humiliation not only to his person but to what he represents, which is the Spanish people. There has been a great deal of down trousers and a great deal of rudeness, but few practical results in terms of the interests of both countries. The only clear and precise thing is the betrayal of the Sahrawi people that Pedro Sánchez conceals in his statements, but which the Moroccan prime minister takes care to remind us of in every appearance.
One might ask
What hidden reasons are there for Pedro Sánchez to accept this kind of relationship with the Government of Morocco, which is not only a humiliation for him, but also for the Government of Spain and the high institutions of the State without any consensus? NATO imposition? Pressure from the USA and Israel? Corruption? Sensitive information obtained through espionage?
In any case, nothing justifies this new betrayal of the Sahrawi people, who have been waiting for more than 50 years for international law to be complied with and for their legitimate rights, recognised in multiple United Nations resolutions, to be respected, to be able to hold a referendum on self-determination and to gain independence in the territory of Western Sahara. And the saddest thing about this shameful situation is that it is being led by a socialist president and a party with more than 140 years of supposedly defending the ideas of Justice, Solidarity and Social Progress.
