Felipe VI referred this Thursday to the meeting he held this week at the Zarzuela Palace with the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, and the main military leaders to analyze the situation in Ceuta. In the informal conversations following the opening act of the Judicial Year, the King explained that among the responsibilities he has as head of state is to be informed about the various military operations.
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Don Felipe responded this way to journalists’ questions about a meeting that gained special political relevance for taking place amid the crisis with Morocco and when Zarzuela and Moncloa are working to make possible his first official visit to Ceuta and Melilla. The meeting also generated some curiosity and expectation about Robles’ role within the Executive and, specifically, about her reaction last Thursday in the Congress of Deputies, when she did not stand up from the PSOE bench to applaud President Pedro Sánchez when he announced that the Government would make public the reports on the Ceuta crisis.
The King’s meeting was held at Zarzuela on Felipe VI’s initiative and gathered, in addition to the Minister of Defense, the Chief of the Defense Staff (JEMAD), General Admiral Teodoro Esteban López Calderón; the Chief of the Operations Command, Lieutenant General José Antonio Agüero; the Chief of the Land Operational Command, Lieutenant General Julio Salom; and the General Commander of Ceuta, Division General Luis Jesús Fernández Herrero.
The objective was to examine the situation in Ceuta from a military point of view after the massive entry of migrants at the end of July and to learn first-hand about the situation on the ground. The meeting also took place after the JEMAD traveled to Ceuta and Melilla, where he held meetings with military commanders and civil authorities.
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Sources from Zarzuela have assured that one of the King’s responsibilities is to be informed about military operations. This response comes at a time when the Royal Household and the Government continue preparing Felipe VI’s trip to Ceuta and Melilla, where he will go along with Queen Letizia. There are no updates regarding what La Vanguardia published last week: they are working on the visit, but there is no specific date. Zarzuela also clarifies that, for now, it is not known which member of the Executive will accompany the Kings to the two autonomous cities.
Pedro Sánchez announced the trip, which will take place “in the coming weeks,” during his appearance in the Congress of Deputies. The Royal Household learned about this endorsement by the Government for the Kings’ trip to Ceuta and Melilla shortly before the president announced it in the Lower House.
The visit will be the first that Felipe VI and Queen Letizia make officially as Kings to Ceuta and Melilla. It will take place almost two decades after the trip of Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofía in 2007, which then provoked a strong reaction from Morocco and opened a diplomatic crisis between Rabat and Madrid.
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