The Polisario Front sharply criticized the statements made by Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs José Manuel Albares on Thursday, in which he admitted that the «supposed principle» of self-determination had been sacrificed to restore diplomatic relations with Morocco, reports El Independiente. Abdulah Arabi, the Polisario representative in Spain, called Albares' remarks «extremely serious» and argued they validate the position held by the Front for the past three years regarding the letter sent by Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez to King Mohammed VI on March 18, 2022. «The Spanish government has finally acknowledged that it prioritized its bilateral relations with the Kingdom of Morocco at the expense of the 'supposed principles' related to the Sahrawi people's right to self-determination», Arabi emphasized in a statement. «There is a desire to prevent a situation that has been unresolved for 50 years from continuing for another 50 years. It is utterly irresponsible to cling to supposed principles that would freeze the situation for 100 years, or even 200 years», said José Manuel Albares in an interview with Radiocable. Despite the letter sent by Pedro Sanchez to Mohammed VI, which revealed the shift in Spain's stance and ended 47 years of active neutrality on the issue of Western Sahara—a former Spanish province until 1975—Albares insisted there was «no change of position». In response to Albares' statements, the Polisario Front reiterated its call for a «swift resolution of the situation faced by the Sahrawi people, but stressed that the only viable solution remains one that ensures the effective exercise of their right to self-determination and independence».
