The full rejection by the Socialist delegation of the European Parliament resolution urging Morocco to respect press freedom lacks any justification.
It is known that international relations are motivated by the pragmatism that governs the intersection of interests that crystallizes in
realpolitik
.
However, the geopolitical reasons underlying Moncloa's order to the PSOE in the European Parliament, which we are revealing today in our pages, pale before the serious det
deterioration of freedom of information in the neighboring country.
Spain is a democratic European power and, as such, is obliged to defend respect for a fundamental right such as freedom of expression and of the press.
Especially considering that the text that has received the green light contemplates the requirement to guarantee imprisoned journalists a fair trial, including the case of Ignacio Cembrero, a Spanish journalist with a long career in covering abuses in the Alaouite kingdom.
The resolution approved in the European Parliament, as organizations such as Reporters Without Borders have pointed out, can be considered historic insofar as it breaks the silence in the face of the coercion of the free press by the Moroccan authorities.
Of the 32 votes against that the vote garnered, 17 corresponded to the Socialist MEPs, who aligned themselves with the extreme right of Le Pen.
The double game of the PSOE led the Spanish Iratxe García, who leads the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament, to support the resolution after negotiating the content herself with the left and the liberals.
Sánchez's party has shielded itself in vaporous subterfuges for the sake of "dialogue and understanding" with Morocco to justify its position, which comes on the eve of the summit between Spain and Morocco on February 1
.
Nor does the PP do well, sheltered in excuses.
Its MEPs were absent from a vote in which the first resolution critical of Morocco after the Qatargate bribery scandal went ahead.
For a party that supports the Government and another that aspires to be an alternative to act in this way is an exercise in cynicism that is incompatible with the foundation of democratic principles.
It is stupefying that the same government that boasts of defending freedoms later orders its MEPs to depart from the community demand that urges Rabat not to persecute journalists.
The PSOE has gone from denouncing the commission of abuses on the Moroccan border to discharging responsibilities for the deaths of immigrants at the Melilla fence
.
This is due to the turn of the Executive in the Sahara, aligning itself with the interests of Mohamed VI and contravening one of the historical consensuses of Spanish foreign policy.
The cultivation of bilateralism with Morocco must be compatible with the defense of press freedom in this country.
There is no room for hesitation when what is at stake is respect for human rights.
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