The Spanish government of Pedro Sanchez has officially informed Morocco of its decision to give up the management of the airspace of Western Sahara to it as had been planned a few months ago, reports the Spanish media Confidencial Digital.
The airspace of Western Sahara is managed by Spain from the Canary Islands as was established several decades ago by the international civil aviation organization under the United Nations, indicates the same source.
At first, Pedro Sanchez had planned to cede the management of the airspace of Western Sahara to the Moroccan authorities, revealed the Spanish media Cadena Ser last March.
Madrid backs down
Obviously, this possibility of seeing Morocco manage the airspace of Western Sahara is no longer relevant. Political and legal reasons would explain the Spanish coaster on this subject, according to Confidencial Digital.
On the one hand, Sanchez decided to slow down the process of handing over the management of the Sahrawi airspace to Morocco by electoral calculation, specifies the same source.
On the other hand, Spain is only the administrator of the airspace of Western Sahara. This space does not belong to him, recalls the same source. The promise made by Pedro Sanchez in Morocco to hand over the management of this space to him therefore had no legal basis.
In recent years, Morocco has used this space illicitly, particularly for its drones, revealed Confidencial Digital. The kingdom de facto controls the part of the airspace corresponding to the occupied Saharawi territories.
As an example of this Moroccan state of affairs, a Qatar Air Force Boeing C-17 Globemaster III, according to the same source, flew over this part of Saharawi airspace before landing at the airport. from the occupied city of Al-Ayoun.
The Spanish reversal in the transfer of the management of the airspace of Western Sahara did not fail to provoke a reaction from Rabat. After being informed of the new Spanish position on this subject, Morocco brandished the Moroccanness of the Spanish enclaves of Sebta and Melilla, according to Confidencial Digital, which cites diplomatic sources.
Rabat filed an official complaint a few weeks ago against Margaritis Schinas, Vice-President of the European Commission on Immigration, for his ” hostile statements on the ‘Moroccan’ cities of Ceuta and Melilla since May 2021″ which proves that the Alaouite kingdom did not change its position.
Decidedly, for Rabat, the Spanish alignment on its position in the Western Sahara conflict is not enough. Morocco obviously always wants more in a logic of balance of power with Madrid.
Concessions without counterpart for Sanchez
For his part, Pedro Sanchez drew no political dividend from his reversal on Western Sahara, which broke with Spain’s historic neutrality on the issue.
On the contrary, Sanchez has been increasingly weakened since the announcement of this decision. His political weakening in Spain has manifested itself in divisions within his left-wing coalition government and even within the Spanish Socialist Party he leads.
On May 28, Sanchez’s party suffered a crushing defeat in the regional elections against the right, represented by the popular party, in what appears to be a sanction vote.
In the aftermath of this electoral setback, the head of the Spanish government decided to put his electoral mandate back on the line by calling early general elections for 23rd July next when they were to be held towards the end of the year.
Pedro Sanchez risks a new electoral rout against the right reinvigorated by his victory in the regional elections last May. Even if he manages to win the elections next July, Sanchez would struggle to compose a coalition government on the left.
The divisions with its current allies are increasingly glaring. Yolanda Diaz, current vice-president of the Spanish government, did not hesitate a few months ago to qualify Morocco as a dictatorship , distancing herself from the position of Pedro Sanchez and his rapprochement with Rabat.
