The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has replied on Monday to the president of the Senate of Morocco that the Government of Spain has nothing to discuss about the Spanishness of Ceuta and Melilla. "With absolute and total forcefulness, Ceuta and Melilla are as Spanish as Zamora or Palencia, there is more to discuss," he said.

In an interview in Cuatro, Robles has responded in this way when asked about the statements of the president of the Moroccan Senate, Enaam Mayara, considering that both cities "occupied" by Spain will be recovered in the future by way of negotiation "without resorting to arms".

The fourth highest authority of Morocco and member of the leadership of the nationalist party Istiqlal pronounced himself in this way in an act organized by the female branch of his formation, precisely on the occasion of the first anniversary of the beginning of the new stage in the relationship after the meeting of the President of the Government, Pedro Sánchez, with Mohamed VI in Rabat on April 7, 2022.

"The Government is clear, there is no debate on this matter, there is no possibility of debate or anything else to discuss," said Margarita Robles when asked if the Executive of Pedro Sánchez will request a rectification to Morocco.

"I feel very Ceuta and Melilla because I feel Spanish," the Minister of Defense has limited herself to answering, without going into assessing the "statements of each one" and recalling that she herself has visited both cities.

Foreign sources consulted by this newspaper avoid making statements and assessments of Mayara's words, avoiding making more noise about something they do not believe should enter. However, the argument that Robles has wielded this Monday is the one often used by José Manuel Albares when talking about Ceuta and Melilla. It should also be remembered that for the first time Morocco has agreed to place a customs office in Ceuta, where it did not exist, a gesture that seemed to show the conformity with which they are Spanish territory. However, it is true that this border has only made two openings, little publicized by the Government, and that it still does not have a fluid traffic.

"Without resorting to arms"

Enaam Mayara said that "Spanish colonization continues in Ceuta and Melilla" and that is why the Istiqlal "has not ceased and will not cease to talk about colonization in the two cities and possible solutions to recover them."

In this sense, the also leader of the General Union of Workers of Morocco (UGTM, a union linked to Istiqlal) has said that his party is convinced that Morocco "will one day recover the two cities occupied by negotiation without resorting to arms." Thus, Mayara has pointed out that both autonomous cities "will not be subject to blackmail", according to the leDesk.ma portal, which echoes a video about the act.

The Istiqlal is part of the government coalition along with the National Rally of Independents (RNI), of which Prime Minister Aziz Ajanuch is a member, and the Authenticity and Modernity Party (PAM). His claim on Ceuta and Melilla is one of the key elements of his nationalist discourse since its foundation in 1944.

However, his statements contrast with the alleged compromise reached during the High Level Meeting (HLM) between Spain and Morocco in early February. Then, Sánchez said that both had assumed "a commitment of mutual respect, by which in our discourse and in our political practice we will avoid everything that we know offends the other party, especially in what affects our respective spheres of sovereignty."

MOROCCANS IN SPAIN

On the other hand, Mayara also encouraged Moroccans residing in Spain to enter Spanish political parties and participate in elections "to help bring the opinions of the two countries closer and form a lobby that helps defend all issues related to the homeland, Morocco", in apparent reference also to the question of the Sahara.

In his opinion, "the Moroccan community in Spain should be seen as a point of pressure and support capable of influencing the foreign policy of this friendly country." For Mayara, according to the Rue20 portal, "the role of the Moroccan community in Spain will be important in the coming years."

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