A Spanish newspaper said that Madrid is waiting for what Rabat will offer in return for the historical change in its position on the issue of Western Sahara, while Rabat is waving the economic card to strengthen its relations with its neighbor.
newspaper quoted “Diario Cordoba“Rabat is tempting Madrid with the possible economic opportunities between the two countries as part of other areas of cooperation that include security and the fight against terrorism.
The newspaper pointed out that the official Maghreb News Agency undertook to talk about the economic opportunities represented by the Kingdom on the eve of the visit of Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to Rabat.
For eight years, Spain has been Morocco’s first supplier and customer, giving its economic operators a special status and seamless access to the local market, according to the report.
Among the areas in which Morocco seeks to cooperate with Spain are the automobile industry, supplier companies, the textile sector and tourism.
The report indicated that the economy is part of the list of cooperation in the new phase, as the Spanish presidential palace acknowledged that Sanchez and Mohammed VI will talk about “economic opportunities” as well as the role that Morocco can play “as an interlocutor with the rest of Africa.”
The newspaper pointed out that Sanchez will attend a Ramadan Iftar at the Moroccan Royal Palace, a gesture interpreted in both countries as conclusive evidence of the end of hostilities.
Morocco and Spain confirmed their willingness to open a new phase of the partnership after a diplomatic crisis that lasted about a year, according to a statement by the Moroccan Royal Court that followed talks between King Mohammed VI and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez.
The latter will visit Rabat on Thursday to confirm reconciliation between the two countries. This is a step that became possible after Madrid changed its position on the Western Sahara conflict, in favor of Rabat.
Reconciliation became possible between Rabat and Madrid after the latter announced its support for the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco to resolve the dispute over Western Sahara, abandoning its traditional neutrality in this conflict.
Morocco is proposing to grant the vast desert region, which it controls about 80 percent of its area, autonomy under its sovereignty as the only solution to the conflict, while the Polisario Front, backed by neighboring Algeria, is demanding a referendum for self-determination under the supervision of the United Nations.