Morocco recovers the claim of Ceuta and Melilla

The Minister of Justice of Morocco, Abdellatif Ouahbi, on Friday asserted Morocco's "historical and geographical right" over Ceuta and Melilla. In an interview with the Moroccan public channel 2M, he called for dialogue with Spain to address their future and achieve their "return to the motherland." The interview took place in the context of the entry into force this Thursday of a new law on the legal profession in Morocco, but the most resonant declaration was about relations between Morocco and Spain. Ouahbi assured that the issue of Ceuta and Melilla must remain a matter of dialogue between the two countries.

This position is not new. Morocco has maintained its claim over the two Spanish autonomous cities since its independence in 1956. The late King Hassan II urged Spain to create a "reflection cell" on the future of the two enclaves, but received no response. "It must continue to be borne in mind, because it is a topic on which silence cannot be kept," Ouahbi declared. In this context, the minister insisted that Spain hand over all unaccompanied Moroccan minors who entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31, when the current migration crisis reached its peak, and expressed Rabat's willingness to receive them after verifying their identities.

For their part, sources from the Spanish government's Ministry of Foreign Affairs have categorically rejected "any different approach regarding Ceuta and Melilla," and this is what they have conveyed to Morocco through diplomatic channels. "Ceuta and Melilla are the border of Spain and the European Union, they are part of Spanish territorial integrity and sovereignty," the statement reads.