The Polisario Front rejects the Spanish government's plan to transfer control of the airspace over the Sahara to Morocco. «Spain does not own this airspace and therefore cannot make decisions about it», said Abdellah Arabi, the Polisario representative to Spain, during a press conference on Thursday, February 29, from the Canary Islands. He urged Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to revise his support for the Moroccan autonomy plan in Western Sahara and «comply with international law». Since Prime Minister Sanchez's return from Rabat, where he held talks with King Mohammed VI on February 21, Spanish media have reported on the potential transfer of control of the Sahara airspace to Morocco. These reports suggest that Sanchez may have agreed to this transfer in exchange for the opening of customs in Ceuta and Melilla. Spanish diplomatic sources, speaking to El Confidencial Digital, confirmed that a «working group» dedicated to this issue has met twice so far. Additionally, Rabat and Madrid have reportedly established a «technical commission» to discuss the technical and security aspects of airspace management in the region. It is important to note that Point 7 of the Morocco-Spain Joint Declaration of April 7, 2022, states that «discussions concerning airspace management will be initiated» between the two countries.
