Good Relations With Algeria, Traditional Attitude Towards Western Sahara

A leader in the Spanish opposition People’s Party said that Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares, in recent years, has played the role of Morocco’s foreign minister with distinction, about the bias of the Pedro Sanchez government to Rabat in its relations with neighbouring countries, especially Algeria. The shift in position on the issue of Western Sahara, and pledged to restore Madrid’s traditional positions that are in line with the United Nations resolutions.

In an interview with the Spanish newspaper, El Independiente, the deputy secretary of the People’s Party in charge of foreign relations, Gonzalez Pons, said that the first file that the party wants to address (if it will win the next July elections) is to bring back Spain to its normal and traditional position in North Africa, adding that Madrid has always had unique relations with Morocco, but that did not previously create any problem with Algeria.

He commented; “At present, we must find a position for Spain in North Africa that allows it to play the traditional role that it previously played.”

“José Manuel Albares was a great foreign minister for Morocco,” he added, referring to the current Spanish government’s exposed bias of the Makhzen regime and the surprising concessions made by Pedro Sanchez.

“It is possible to return to the situation that Spain has always maintained, as its proximity to Morocco did not prevent it from establishing good relations with Algeria,” the Spanish People’s Party official added.

The Spanish politician strongly criticized the current government’s steps in its relations with neighbouring countries, he explained; “We have always maintained this position, and we should never have lost it.. It is simply a matter of restoring our traditional position,” referring to Spain’s retreat from its previous traditional positions regarding the conflict in Western Sahara and its international relations.

“The People’s Party will remain within the framework of United Nations resolutions,” González Pons added, in response to a direct question about whether the new government should correct its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan as a solution to the conflict in Western Sahara, which is a clear indication of the rejection of the current prime minister’s unilateral step supporting the Makhzen regime.

For some time, the name of the leader of the People’s Party, Esteban González Pons, has been circulated as the new Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs if his political party will win the next July elections, to be the successor to Jose Manuel Albares, whom the Algerian authorities previously described as a “clown and amateur diplomat.”

A few days ago, the first man in the Spanish Popular Party, Alberto Nunez Feijoo, was asked, after winning the local and regional elections that took place at the end of last month, about the future of relations between Algeria and Madrid in the event of his expected appointment as prime minister, and he replied that restoring relations with Algeria is one of the top priorities of his next government.

“I have said that if we come to power we will try in the first place to restore relations with Algeria. It is a legacy left to us by all the previous heads of government, they all had good relations with Algeria and Portugal, Felipe Gonzalez, José Maria Aznar… all of them. It was a country with which we had a treaty of friendship,” he concluded.