Ceuta and Melilla, the recurring Moroccan complaint

Statements by the head of the Moroccan government regarding the Spanish cities of Ceuta and Melilla are not a territorial claim, but it can be understood that they are. Saad Eddine El Othmani did not choose any moment to make them, for he chose the days following the United States' stance on the Western Sahara, recognising Morocco's sovereignty and encouraging the country to reach an agreement with Israel in the context of a much more ambitious plan drawn up by despised President Donald Trump. The Othmani announces that the time will come when the issue of the two autonomous cities will have to be discussed, even though the current Spanish government, in addition to summoning Morocco's ambassador to ask for further clarification, has publicly stated that "there is no issue" (Carmen Calvo, first vice-president). At the same time, the Minister of Foreign Affairs stressed that, in these statements by the Moroccan Government, there is nothing new about its historic position of claiming sovereignty over the two places. The official response summoning the diplomatic representative is perfectly understandable: it is a formal complaint from one government to another and may be the beginning of an incident if there is no satisfactory clarification.  

But what does Morocco want to talk about regarding Ceuta and Melilla? Certainly not about history. Ceuta and Melilla have been Spanish since before they gained their independence and before Mohammed VI took over. Nor does Prime Minister El Othmani probably wish to speak about international law, as this is an issue that has never been on the agenda of the United Nations because it does not fit in with the terms of the colonies as recognised by this organisation. It is better to talk about good neighbourliness and the fraternal ties that bind the two countries, with hundreds of thousands of Moroccans living and working in Spain and many Spanish businesses and investments flourishing in Morocco.  

Spain is not interested in inflaming Morocco, as its balance and western nature are a guarantee of moderation and even essential assistance in key issues such as immigration and Jihadist terrorism. And Spain should pour oil on troubled waters s with its neighbour, although it cannot show any flexibility in response to this demand, for extremely important legal, historical and sentimental reasons. The president of Ceuta said on television these days that "one cannot love Ceuta without loving Spain, nor can one love Spain without loving Ceuta". And the most important thing is that Spain's territorial integrity and sovereignty over all territories is incontestable.  

Why is the Moroccan government now bringing this issue back to the table? It happens whenever its interests dictate, and anytime there is a hint of weakness in the northern neighbour. Morocco sees a weakness in Spain and rushes to try to take advantage of it. This weakness is currently caused by the presence in the government of two partners who, although gradually and in very different ways, are questioning this territorial integrity. The Podemos members do so without any concealment or disguise. Socialists do so implicitly with their federalist proposals, their desire to change the Constitution, and their policy in regions such as Catalonia or the Balearic Islands, which borders on separatist nationalism. And Morocco is now doing so also in response to the outbursts of the Spanish vice-president, who has seriously failed to respond by calling for a referendum on self-determination a few days before the world's leading power expressed its complete opposition.