Morocco proposes creating a dialogue mechanism to address the future of Ceuta and Melilla, but Spain's Foreign Ministry rejects its demands and reaffirms Spanish sovereignty over both cities.
This week Morocco once again put Ceuta and Melilla at the centre of its territorial claims. On Friday, Moroccan Justice Minister Abdellatif Ouahbi defended his country's "historical and geographical" rights over the two autonomous cities and proposed setting up a mechanism for dialogue with Spain to address their future.
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Pedro Sánchez's government was quick to respond. Sources at the Foreign Ministry said that Spain had conveyed to Morocco its "categorical rejection" of these claims and reiterated that Ceuta and Melilla form part of Spain's sovereignty and territorial integrity and therefore of the territory of the European Union.
Ouahbi set out Morocco's position in an interview with the public television channel "2M". The minister maintained that Rabat has no intention of abandoning its claims and argued that the issue should continue to be part of relations with Spain.
The justice minister proposed creating a bilateral mechanism to discuss the future of both cities and to seek what he described as a "definitive solution". Under his proposal, any such process would end with the integration of Ceuta and Melilla into Morocco.
Morocco rekindles its claims amid Ceuta crisis
The comments come amid a migration crisis in Ceuta, after tens of thousands of people crossed into the city from Morocco at the end of July, overwhelming its capacity to receive migrants and leaving dozens dead.
Since the migration crisis began, this is not the first time Ouahbi has challenged Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla. On 12 August he had already stated that Morocco continued to claim both cities and that the issue remained "on the table" in his contacts with Spain.
Morocco's territorial aspirations regarding Ceuta and Melilla are not new either. Rabat has maintained them since its independence in 1956, while Spain has repeatedly rejected any challenge to its sovereignty.