Madrid (AFP) – Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Thursday insisted there was no “solid proof” Morocco orchestrated a migrant rush into the Spanish territory of Ceuta, after a police report alleged failings by Moroccan security forces. But the Socialist leader slammed “unacceptable” Moroccan government comments about Ceuta since the crisis began in late July, in rare public criticism of neighboring Rabat, which claims the north African enclave.
Later Thursday, US President Donald Trump renewed his criticism of Spain over the affair, saying migrants entering its borders would “pour into” the rest of Europe. “What’s happened with Spain is an outrage,” Trump said in an interview with British television channel GB News. “When I look at it, it’s so sad. It’s going to ruin the whole country. It’s going to ruin the system…” He added, “And it will destroy Europe because once they’re in Spain, they’re going to not stop in Spain. They’re going to pour into your country and every other country — but they already are pouring into your country.”
– Explosive police report –
More than 70,000 migrants crossed into Ceuta from Morocco on July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented, chaotic surge that left scores dead and sparked European Union infighting over the touchy issue of migration. Sanchez’s leftist government has consistently avoided blaming Morocco and has tried for years to improve the countries’ historically delicate relations — notably over the status of Ceuta and Spain’s other north African territory, Melilla.
But a Spanish police report seen by AFP on Wednesday flagged a Moroccan police response of “total permissiveness” that it said facilitated the rush, with some officers directing migrants towards the water. Moroccan police numbers around the border post were “clearly smaller than usual” and officers “made no serious attempt” to stem the surge, said the report. Addressing parliament on Thursday, Sanchez said no police, legal or international institutions had submitted “solid proof to the government of Spain that Morocco planned or executed the incident.” A few days after the influx, a Moroccan source close to the case denied to AFP any “relaxation” at the land border crossing. The Moroccan interior ministry has blamed the sudden surge on the “malicious exploitation” of social media and the “spread of misleading information.”
– ‘Unacceptable’ comments –
Sanchez also slammed as “unacceptable” comments about Ceuta and Melilla by two Moroccan government ministers, revealing Spain summoned Morocco’s ambassador on August 21. Moroccan media quoted Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi in August as saying Rabat had “historic” and “geographical” rights over Ceuta and Melilla, calling for a “final solution” that would allow the territories to “return to the fold of the motherland.” Ceuta and Melilla will remain Spanish “until the end of time,” Sanchez told parliament on Thursday.
The conservative and far-right opposition has consistently questioned Morocco’s role in the migrant rush and accuses Sanchez of subservience to Rabat. The leader of the main opposition right-wing Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, rubbished Sanchez’s explanations and demanded his resignation “for incompetence” or “complicity” after “a possible act of hybrid warfare.” Some analysts have suggested Morocco used the migrant rush to exert political pressure on Spain after Sanchez visited Rabat’s historic enemy Algeria in July. The disputed Western Sahara is a source of tension, with Morocco largely controlling the former Spanish colony that is claimed by the Algerian-backed pro-independence Polisario Front.
– King to visit? –
Sanchez revealed the government had urged Spanish King Felipe VI to travel to Ceuta and Melilla “in the coming weeks,” in rare public comments about royal matters that could inflame relations with Morocco. The last trip by a Spanish monarch to the cities in 2007 sparked a diplomatic crisis. Although most of the migrants who streamed into Ceuta have returned to Morocco, thousands continue to roam the small city’s streets and sleep rough, increasing tensions among locals.
Tens of thousands of people protested across Spain on Wednesday in solidarity with Ceuta and to criticize the government’s handling of the crisis. “Ceuta needs to be supported by the state more than ever,” Sanchez said. But he later denied having “the slightest intention of triggering a diplomatic conflict” with Morocco.
© 2024 AFP
