Far from calming down, the conflict between Spain and Morocco is escalating. New hostilities are declared every day. Rabat has once again brought its claim over Ceuta and Melilla to the table and has threatened to suspend the extradition agreement with Spain, while the PP demands that the Government call the Moroccan ambassador in Madrid for consultations.
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The tension between the two capitals is evident outwardly. In the midst of a global rise in nationalistic impulses, politicians around the world win over their voters by resorting to the old tactic of blaming foreigners. The Strait crisis can also be understood in this context. But the fact that countries stage their disputes in the public sphere does not mean that behind the scenes diplomatic efforts are not being made to steer the crises back on track.
The history of relations between Spain and Morocco is full of gestures that have helped to unblock complex situations. This was well explained yesterday in this newspaper by historian Sergio Molina García, who concluded that what makes the current crisis especially dangerous is the rampant xenophobia in our societies. One of those gestures was the delivery by Spain to Hassan II, in 1979, of some deer for the monarch’s hunting reserve, a gift intended to facilitate an agreement in the fishing conflict between the two countries.
The then Minister of Agriculture and Fisheries, Jaime Lamo de Espinosa, explained years later that the Moroccan king would have preferred Spanish goats instead of deer. It is likely that, since it was a protected species, the choice was made to send the deer.
Stopping the influx of sub-Saharan immigrants into Spain, remaining silent on thorny issues, or making a sharp turn in decades-old doctrine on the Sahara are courtesies that both sides have shown recently. Unfortunately, the political conditions to consolidate a solid bilateral relationship free from shocks are not present. There are too many factors against it, such as the inevitable Spanish rapprochement to Algeria, Donald Trump’s interference in the region, or the stumbling block of Ceuta and Melilla.
For all these reasons, gestures will have to be very carefully refined. If Morocco desires the 2030 World Cup final (the goats) as much as it seems, it will not be satisfied with the deer (the third and fourth place match).
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