José Manuel Albares was in Brussels on Wednesday, where he spoke to the media after the declassification of documents about Ceuta to reiterate that the magnitude of the attempt to violate Spanish territorial sovereignty was not warned about. It was his last appearance and his last comment regarding the attack on national security that occurred on July 30. Since then, silence.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has not publicly reacted to the statement issued by its Moroccan counterpart, a text in which they threatened the Popular Party and the Spanish judicial institutions that does not seem to have been enough for Albares to take any public initiative to respond or reprimand the attitude of the Alawi neighbor. In fact, at the close of this edition there was no reaction of any kind. In the 42 days that have passed since the massive crossing of people by swimming, Albares limited himself to thanking Morocco’s role. Only after several comments from Moroccan ministers about the sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla did he make a decision. He summoned the ambassador to Spain, who was on vacation and did not attend the meeting, to which he sent his number two. A move that, although in other cases is made public, was done in secret and with discretion.
The incomprehensible silence of the Ministry in the face of an attack on the State institutions by the men of Mohamed VI has allowed the Popular Party to take the lead and act as a leader in the crisis. “Morocco is responsible for what happened by action or omission.” This is how forceful the PP was yesterday in response to Morocco’s statement, with a text in which they state: “Our assessment of the invasion suffered in Ceuta on July 30 and the crisis still ongoing to this day remains the same: we are facing a serious violation of Spain’s territorial integrity and, by extension, of Europe.”
“It is a hybrid attack with an instrumentalization of irregular immigration,” accuses the PP, which demands from Morocco “a loyal and transparent action by all parties and verifiable guarantees that similar events will not happen again.” The PP also asks Morocco “for the utmost respect for Spanish institutions and the judicial investigation currently underway in our Nation.” “It is exclusively up to the Spanish Justice, in the exercise of its independence and our national sovereignty, to determine the facts, assess the evidence and, if applicable, establish the responsibilities that correspond.” It is then when the leadership of Génova issues the third reproach to the neighboring country: “No statement, internal or external, should interfere, condition or delegitimize this procedure.”
It should be remembered that, in the statement released this Thursday, the Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, not only avoids any responsibility of the Rabat authorities in the events, but directs a particularly harsh message against the Spanish political parties and judicial institutions investigating what happened.
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Although the statement does not explicitly mention the Popular Party, the reference is difficult to dissociate due to its criticisms of Morocco’s actions and Pedro Sánchez. Rabat accuses “certain Spanish political and media sectors” of “instrumentalizing the Kingdom within an internal agenda” and attacks “historical parties” that, despite being “seasoned in government management,” would have fallen, according to the Ministry, into “this quagmire where unreasonable and populist overbidding prevails over common sense.”
The PP responds as follows: “The defense of the general interests of the Nation, the integrity of our borders and the security of Spaniards constitutes an inalienable priority for the Popular Party. We will always exercise it firmly, within the Rule of Law and regardless of any circumstance.” “Nothing is above the defense of Spain,” the statement emphasizes.
That said, Feijóo‘s team agrees with the Moroccan statement in raising two “very pertinent” questions. The first: “Why is the return of people who entered irregularly not executed if the Moroccan Government has officially committed to admitting them?” The second: “And why are minors kept away from their families, even though Morocco has urgently requested their return?” Questions that Foreign Affairs has not answered, as silence has once again been the option.
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