Spanish fears of a “green march” to retrieve Ceuta and Melilla with Trump’s support

A few days ago, the Spanish media has continued to shed light on a controversial hypothesis related to the possibility of US President Donald Trump in the occupied Ceuta and Melilla case, which Morocco demands their recovery.

This discussion began on the pages of the newspaper “Espanyol”, which was published on February 23, a report entitled “Fear in Ceuta and Melilla of a new Green Moroccan march with the support of Trump invading the two cities”; It is the report that has spread widely, and I dealt with follow -up and analysis a group of other Spanish and foreign newspapers.

The report, which raised concerns in the Spanish military and political circles that Trump re-returning to the White House a scenario that he confessed to the Moroccan Sahara in 2020 to extend this time to the occupied cities, raised among many observers questions about the emergence of the debate about him at this time and its implications in the context of Moroccan-Spanish-American relations.

In this context, Lahcen Aqtit, a professor of international relations and political analyst, linked the Spanish media debate that Trump returned to power, noting that the United States’s recognition of the Moroccan Sahara in 2020 constituted a turn of Spain later to amend its position in 2022 to support the autonomy initiative.

In a statement to Hespress, Aqtit considered that this context “reflects Spain’s concern about the impact of American pressure on Madrid’s positions”, especially with the strong relations between Washington and Rabat.

The university professor specializing in international relations added that the Spanish fear of Trump’s intervention “stems from the possibility of offering the file of the two cities in Moroccan-American negotiations, with the possibility of Trump taking a supportive position for Morocco,” highlighting that “this concern reflects the uncertainty in the Spanish political circles, especially since Trump showed in his first term a tendency to support allies like Morocco.”

The political analyst himself stressed that the future of Ceuta and Melilla “ultimately depends on negotiations between Morocco and Spain, and not on external interference,” noting that “deepening bilateral relations and developing common interests may be the entrance to resolve the discussion of the restoration of the two occupied cities, away from the effects of Trump.”

The same spokesman concluded that the recent Spanish position towards the desert “is a historical step that may pave the way for a comprehensive settlement that includes the two cities and laying the foundations for a future discussion on Ceuta and Melilla or the demarcation of the borders between the two countries.”

In the same context, Al -Abbas Al -Wardi, a professor of public law at Mohamed V University in Rabat, considered that Morocco “has never abandoned his demand for Ceuta and Melilla; But he prefers to address the issue through bilateral debate instead of escalation. ”

Al -Wardi highlighted, in an interview with Hespress, that “this stability reflects a long -term Moroccan strategy based on soft diplomacy,” benefiting from the improvement of relations with Spain after a visit to Sanchez in 2022; It reduces the possibility of resorting to external pressure such as Trump’s intervention.

As for the aforementioned university professor, the Spanish media talk about Trump’s intervention is nothing but “a media crackdown aimed at testing reactions, and it has no realistic basis that links it to the position of Morocco or Spain.”

The same spokesman pointed out that the Moroccan-Spanish relations “live a golden stage, supported by mutual trust between the two king Mohammed VI and Philip VI”; It is the context that, according to the political analyst itself, “is unlikely that Trump’s intervention will affect the current dynamic”, as the two countries depend on the institutional dialogue to resolve disputes, including the issue of the two cities, without the need for external brokers.

Al -Wardi stressed that “constructive dialogue and mutual respect are the way to address problems, whether it comes to Ceuta and Melilla or other issues such as immigration and economy,” considering that the current experience between the two countries, including the joint Supreme Committee, “shows the ability of the two parties to reach radical solutions.”