European Commission backs Spain’s policy shift on Western Sahara, Morocco partnership
The European Commission’s announced support for Spain's policy shift on the Sahara issue, which backs Morocco’s expanded autonomy initiative, has come to further illustrate the gains achieved by Rabat in defending its stand on the country’s territorial integrity, analysts say
At the same time, the new development has compounded the setbacks suffered by Algeria’s diplomacy, which had been trying for years, to no avail, to prop up the Polisario Front’s Saharan claims.
“The European Union welcomes any positive development … between its member states and Morocco in their bilateral relations, which can only be beneficial for the implementation of the Euro-Moroccan partnership,” said Monday Nabila Massrali, a spokeswoman for EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell.
Political analysts in Morocco consider Europe is clearly siding with Morocco through its support for Spain and that Massrali’s statements show the importance that the Europeans attach to their partnership with Morocco.
No mention was made by the EU of Algeria, despite the European Union’s awareness of the sensitivity of the Sahara issue for Morocco’s neighbour.
Madrid had told Rabat on Friday that it regarded its 2007 autonomy proposal for the Western Sahara as “serious, credible and realistic”.
Observers pointed out that Spain's unambiguous support for Morocco's expanded autonomy approach, has paved the way for the European Commission to support the Moroccan proposal. There were signs of a developing common policy in recent months within the European body with the change in the German position and then that of France.
Paris on Monday renewed its support for the autonomy plan presented by Morocco as “a basis for serious and credible discussion” towards settling the Sahara dispute.
Moroccan official news agency MAP quoted a spokeswoman for the French ministry of foreign affairs as saying that France's position on the Sahara issue was "consistently in favour of a just and lasting political solution that is acceptable to the parties, in accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions."
From this perspective, an international consensus seems to be emerging in favour of the Moroccan autonomy plan as a basis for any serious and credible settlement.
Hichem Motadid, a Moroccan expert in international and strategic relations, told The Arab Weekly that “the EU’s position on the Sahara consolidates the international momentum in support of the Moroccan autonomy initiative,” as it reflects a new approach by the European Union “towards ending this artificial conflict”.
Motadid added that the European Union's backing for the Moroccan proposal vindicates Rabat’s approach to conflict settlement. He emphasised that “the European Union's support for the continuation of the political process led by the secretary-general of the United Nations is a responsible commitment” towards backing Morocco and “the respect for its sovereignty over its southern provinces and to expediting political efforts towards ending this old issue.”
The European step is expected to reverberate strongly in Algeria which has expressed “surprise” at Madrid’s policy shift. The wider backing for Morocco’s autonomy plan is likely to place Algiers in an even tougher predicament.
Algeria recalled its ambassador in Madrid for consultations. A foreign ministry statement stated that "Algeria was deeply surprised by the recent statements of its Spanish counterpart."
Observers believe the Algerian authorities have a quite limited margin for manoeuvre. They cannot afford a confrontation with the European Union especially considering their frayed relations with France, their tensions with Morocco and their diminishing regional influence. This has been reflected by the difficulties Algeria has encountered trying to host an Arab summit and the clear support for Morocco’s positions on the Sahara issue given by the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Experts rule out the possibility for Algeria to use the natural gas lever against Spain or the rest of Europe. Facing itself a severe economic crisis at home, Algeria badly needs the gas revenues. Waving the gas card would be an unwelcome move amid the Ukraine war crisis.
A few weeks ago, Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune sent a message of reassurance to the country’s European partners, in which he pledged his country's commitment to meeting their energy needs.
No comments:
Post a Comment