Algeria summons ambassador to Madrid following shift in Spanish position

Algeria recalled its ambassador to Madrid on  Saturday for consultations, after the recent message addressed to King Mohammed VI by the President of the Spanish Government, Pedro Sánchez, announcing that Spain officially supports Morocco’s Autonomy Plan for the Sahara,

The Algerian Ministry of Foreign Affairs issued a statement noting that the decision to summon the Algerian ambassador to Spain is a reaction to the official Spanish statements regarding Western Sahara.

The statement also noted that the Algerian authorities were “very surprised by the surprising statements of the Spanish high authorities” on Western Sahara and that “Algeria is deeply surprised by the sudden coup d’état of Spain.”

The Polisario Front has also commented on the new position of Spain to support the Moroccan peace plan, condemning and criticizing Spain’s stand, saying that “The position expressed in the two statements lacks credibility, seriousness, responsibility, and realism.”

The message addressed to King Mohammed VI by President Pedro Sánchez stressed that “Spain considers the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented in 2007, as the most serious, realistic and credible basis for resolving the dispute”.

The message added that “the serious and credible efforts of Morocco within the framework of the United Nations to find a mutually acceptable solution” is the most practical resolution to the Sahara’s issue.

In this respect, the former President of the Spanish government, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, reasserted his support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan in an interview with Spanish radio Cadena Ser, considering Spain’s new position is “politically intelligent.”

The Spanish supportive position follows months of a diplomatic crisis between Morocco and Spain given that Spain hosted in 2011 the Polisario Front leader Brahim Ghali.

Algeria’s reaction to the Spanish position indicates a potential diplomatic crisis between Spain and Algeria.