The former diplomat and author of several books Hocine Meghlaoui points out that the President of the Republic put the points on essential issues, when he mentioned the quarrel between Spain and Algeria, namely the moral and historical responsibility of Madrid in the case of Western Sahara.
Meghlaoui says he is not surprised by the turnaround in the Spanish position. He recalls, in this regard, that Madrid, with the socialist party at its head, is not at its first betrayal of the Saharawi cause. “On November 14, 1975, while Franco was in agony, the Spanish government signed the Madrid agreements with Morocco and Mauritania to divide Western Sahara between these two countries. After the democratization of Spain, the socialist party took power and Prime Minister Felipe Gonzales reneged on all his promises made to the Saharawis and Algerians,” he recalled. He added: “This is one betrayal too many.
When asked whether Madrid’s alignment with Morocco’s position vis-à-vis Western Sahara has a direct link with the management of illegal immigration on its territory, Hocine Meghlaoui, who has been ambassador several times, in particular to India, Brazil and Ethiopia, says that “Morocco is known for this type of setup and knows how to put pressure on Spain”. To be convinced of this, he recalls, “the migratory flows of illegal minors, from Morocco, who joined the autonomous enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla in 2021”. This, he points out, “caused great problems for the Spanish authorities who had welcomed the largest number of illegal immigrants in its history”. In May 2021, from 8 to 10,000 migrants had arrived in the enclave, after Moroccan border surveillance was released. According to the figures of the Spanish national police published by the newspaper El País, eight out of ten people who illegally entered Spanish territory came from Morocco.
According to the former diplomat, Morocco has always used this weapon, while it is paid by the European Union to control illegal immigration. “This is not the case with Algeria,” he insists. There is no doubt, he believes, “Madrid has yielded to the migratory and smuggling blackmail of Rabat”.
Illegal emigration as blackmail
“Spain is trying through this new position to avoid the problems related to the phenomenon of illegal immigration,” he points out. However, he emphasizes, “it’s a waste of time. The guarantees that Spain may have had on the control of migratory flows cannot be taken for granted because Morocco is known for not keeping its promises”.
On the impact that this reversal could have on the international level and in particular on the decision of the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy for Western Sahara, he affirms that “the issue of Western Sahara is a question of decolonization registered at the UN”. And then, he adds, “the position of the member states of the Security Council is known. We know which countries are for international legality and the principle of self-determination and which countries are playing with international law to maintain the status quo in Western Sahara”.
Referring to the future of Algerian-Spanish relations if Madrid did not correct its position, Meghlaoui recalls that Spain has interests to preserve in Algeria. “It is up to her to know what tone to set for bilateral relations between the two countries and to have a more constructive attitude towards Algiers and the Saharawi issue,” he concludes
Translated by hope from Radio Algeria.
