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Madrid,
18/12/2006 (SPS) The Secretary for International Relations in the
Popular Party (PP), Jorge Moragas, accused the Head of the Spanish
Government, José Luis Rodriguez Zapatero, of breaking with the
Spanish policy of "balance" in the Maghreb and of backing the
Moroccan positions in the conflict of the Western Sahara to the
detriment of the Polisario Front.
"Two years and half passed since Zapatero has initiated an
irresponsible and hasty turning position in the Spanish policy in
the Maghreb, which was translated by a breaking with the balance for
years maintained and forged by Spain with Morocco and Algeria. This
caused harm to our Mediterranean policy", Mr. Moragas affirmed in a
statement to the Spanish press agency, Europa Press.
Recalling the affirmation of Zapatero in 2004, according to which
the conflict of the Western Sahara was to be resolved in six months,
Mr. Moragas underlined that "two years and half after, the problem
has not yet been resolved and Spain has lost its historical position
of active neutrality that was the fruit of a consensus of the
transition".
Mr. Moragas stressed that the Head of the Spanish Government has
buried the UN Security Council’s resolution 1495, which endorsed the
Baker Plan, and "supported" Morocco t the detriment of Polisario
Front.
"That is to say that Algeria, which is not a party to the conflict
but still is an important actor in the region, has publicly blamed
Zapatero for his policy. We consider this as serious and detrimental
to the general interests of Spain, ecause Algeria, he said, is a
primordial partner of our country in the southern shore of the
Mediterranean".
He added that in addition of been "important" commercial partner,
Algeria is an ally internationally famous of its efficiency in the
struggle against terrorism".
On another hand, he regretted that "for the first time", Zapatero
has avoided to answer journalists’ questions that reflected the
"concern" of an important part of the Spanish society that qualifies
the Spanish position on the conflict as a “betrayal’’ to the
Saharawi people. (SPS)
010/090/700/TRD 181041 DEC 06 SPS
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