The issue of Ceuta and Melilla returned to the forefront of tension between Morocco and Spain, after Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Wehbe confirmed that Rabat had not given up its claim to sovereignty over the two North African cities. Madrid responded in a sharp tone and confirmed that its sovereignty over them “is not and will not be a subject of discussion,” just two weeks after a mass storming of the border towards Ceuta in which about 72,000 migrants participated.
According to a report published by the Israeli website “Ynet”, in cooperation with news agencies, Spanish officials responded, on Wednesday, to Moroccan statements regarding the future of Ceuta and Melilla, after the two cities returned to the headlines against the backdrop of the influx of immigrants from Moroccan territory to Ceuta.
Spanish Defense Minister Margarita Robles said, in response to Wehbe’s statements: “Ceuta and Melilla are not only Spanish, but very Spanish, and cannot be touched.”
Its position came after Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Wehbe said, on Tuesday, in an interview with Al-Sharq TV, that Morocco believes that sovereignty over the two cities bordering its territory should return to it, stressing that this issue is being raised in the talks with the Spanish side.
This was Rabat’s first public presentation of this controversial issue since the border raid two weeks ago, when about 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta with the aim of settling within the European Union, in an incident that also led to the killing of at least 96 people.
Since then, most of the migrants have been returned to Morocco, while thousands remain in Ceuta awaiting a decision on their legal status.
It is expected that a large number of them, especially minors, will eventually obtain permits allowing them to reside in Spain, and thus within the European Union, a situation that may later allow them to bring their family members to reside with them.
Wehbe said in his interview that Morocco constantly raises the issue of the status of Ceuta and Melilla in its talks with Spain, noting that the long-term goal is to reach a solution to the issue through dialogue.
Ceuta and Melilla have been part of Spain since the 15th and 17th centuries, but since Morocco’s independence in 1956, Rabat considers the two cities to be territories occupied by Spain, and demands the transfer of sovereignty over them to it.
Madrid categorically rejected this position, which was repeated by the Spanish Minister of Defense during her visit to Ceuta.
“Ceuta and Melilla are not only Spanish, they are very Spanish and cannot be touched,” Robles said.
She added: “Any attack on Ceuta and Melilla is an attack on all of Spain. This should not be repeated.”
Her statements come amid speculation that the Moroccan authorities may have turned a blind eye to the mass border raid at the end of July, or even contributed to its organization, according to accusations that had previously been raised in previous periods of tension between the two countries.
However, the Spanish government praised the cooperation shown by the Moroccan authorities in returning the migrants, and refrained from bringing charges against Rabat, instead holding human trafficking networks responsible.
In a separate statement, the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Spain’s territorial integrity “has not been, and will never be, a subject of discussion with any party.”
In parallel with this debate, the Moroccan Ministry of the Interior announced that it would strengthen security measures near the borders with Ceuta and Melilla, after calls spread across the Internet to attempt to implement a new mass crossing towards the two cities on August 15.
The Ministry confirmed that it will prosecute the organizers and participants of these calls.
She said: “The Ministry calls on everyone to be vigilant and responsible and not to be drawn into such suspicious and misleading calls, given the risks they may pose to human lives.”
Thus, the issue of Ceuta and Melilla returns to the forefront of the sensitive relationship between Rabat and Madrid, with Morocco adhering to its sovereignty claims, in exchange for a more stringent Spanish position that considers the status of the two cities outside any negotiation.
