In what the Spanish press described as “suspicious,” an Algerian private Gulfstream plane landed Wednesday morning at Madrid-Barajas International Airport, coming from Algeria.
The landing coincided with the Spanish Prime Minister’s trip to Morocco, accompanied by a large ministerial delegation for the 12th bilateral high level meeting.
Spanish newspaper “The Objective” revealed that the official Algerian plane landed at the airport at 11:10 in the morning, on a “secret and noticeable” flight, before leaving after only two hours at exactly at 1:13 am the same day.
The same source indicated that the Spanish government’s agenda did not include any diplomatic meeting, especially with Algeria, which last June suspended the Treaty of Friendship, Good Neighborliness and Cooperation with Spain, in protest against Moncloa Palace’s decision to support Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara.
The Objective contacted the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs to obtain information about the reason for the trip, but the ministry replied that it “does not have any details.”
The same source mentioned a similar incident in August. But in the opposite direction, after a private plane flew from the “Torrejon de Ardoz” air base near Madrid towards Blida airport in Algeria, in the midst of the diplomatic crisis between the two countries.
Pedro Sanchez, Prime Minister of Spain, arrived yesterday, Wednesday, in Morocco, along with a ministerial delegation comprised of Spanish ministers and officials, in order to preside the works of this session of the high-level meeting, along with Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch, seven years after the last session was held.
This meeting, which culminated in the signing of about 20 cooperation agreements between the two countries, is a source of concern for the separatist Polisario front, who have expressed their anger at Spain’s move.
This was recognized by Abdullah Arabi, the representative of the Front in Spain, in an interview with the Spanish news agency “Europe Press.”
Arabi expressed his fear that the high-level meeting in Rabat might result in agreements that implicitly reinforce the Spanish government’s recognition of Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, especially with regard to potential negotiations related to the demarcation of maritime borders.
He criticised the Sanchez government’s intention to open a branch of the “Cervantes” Cultural Institute in Laayoune, which would, according to him, “legitimise an illegal occupation.”
The front’s fears and worries may as well be truth, as this recent bilateral delegation
This news item is a good read. However, it seem that is not complete as one reads the last sentence which says, and I quote:
“The front’s fears and worries may as well be truth, as this recent bilateral delegation…”(something is missing)”