Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
Asharq Al-Awsat
Asharq Al-Awsat
World
Asharq Al-Awsat

Morocco Says Spain Supports W.Sahara Plan

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez speaks during news conference in Siauliai air base, Lithuania July 8, 2021. (Reuters)

Spain has told Morocco that it regards its autonomy proposal for Western Sahara as "serious, credible and realistic", Rabat said on Friday, in a move likely to ease a diplomatic dispute between Madrid and Rabat that flared last year.

The language reflects a shift in Madrid's policy towards the dispute in Western Sahara, a territory that Morocco considers its own, but where an Algeria-backed independence movement demands a sovereign state.

In April last year, Morocco was angered after Spain admitted a Western Sahara independence leader for medical treatment using Algerian documents, saying it had not been informed.

Spain's foreign ministry confirmed a letter had been sent to Morocco but did not reveal the contents.

According to the royal palace in Rabat, the letter from Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sachez to King Mohammed VI said: "Spain considers the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007, as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for settling the dispute."

The Moroccan foreign ministry said it welcomed the Spanish position and that the Spanish foreign minister would travel to Rabat by the end of March, followed by a visit from Sanchez at a later date.

In late 2020 the Polisario Front independence movement said it was resuming an armed struggle after a ceasefire that had lasted since 1990, though there has been no sign of serious fighting.

The Spanish message to Morocco referred to a shared determination to meet the challenge of migration, the royal palace said.

Rabat says its 2007 proposal to offer Western Sahara autonomy within Morocco is the most it can offer as a political solution to the conflict.

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.