The report of Guterres cites the letter addressed on March 14, 2022 to His Majesty King Mohammed VI by the head of the Spanish government, stating the position of Spain on this issue.
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.
The report also refers to the reaction of Algeria, which in opposition to the decision, however sovereign, of Spain, decided to recall its ambassador in Madrid for consultations, and resorts to its usual tactics of intimidation, through suspending the treaty of friendship, neighborhood and cooperation with Spain.
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 broad international recognition, increasingly growing, 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 in the world, as the basis for resolving this regional dispute.
