A planned visit by Spain’s King Felipe VI to the North African cities of Ceuta and Melilla could reignite tensions with Morocco, according to Yahya Yahya, head of a Moroccan committee campaigning for the territories’ return.
Yahya said the visit could trigger a stronger reaction than a similar trip by Spain’s former King Juan Carlos I and Queen Sofia in 2007.
The royal couple’s November 2007 visit to Ceuta and Melilla sparked widespread anger in Morocco, drawing condemnation from the government, political parties and civil society groups. It was the first visit by a Spanish monarch to the two cities since King Alfonso XIII traveled there in 1927.
Large crowds gathered around the territories to protest the royal visit at the time.
Yahya warned that a new visit could provoke an even stronger response and said the Spanish government would bear responsibility for any consequences.
His comments came after Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez confirmed Monday that Felipe VI plans to visit both cities. Sanchez said there were “sufficient arguments and reasons” for the trip and that conditions were appropriate, but did not announce a date.
The timing of the visit will be agreed upon by the Spanish government and the royal palace, Sanchez said.
Felipe VI, who became king in 2014, has not visited Ceuta or Melilla during his reign, although Sanchez and other Spanish prime ministers have traveled to the territories.
Yahya, who heads the Committee for the Liberation of Ceuta, Melilla and their affiliated islands, said the issue extends beyond a royal visit, describing the territories as an “existential” issue for Morocco comparable in importance to the Western Sahara issue.
He accused Spanish political leaders of reviving a highly sensitive dispute and said royal visits or other moves by Madrid would not alter what he described as the eventual return of Ceuta and Melilla to Morocco.
Yahya said his committee would be present on the ground during the king’s visit to reaffirm its claim that the two cities are Moroccan.
He also warned that Spanish and local authorities know his organization can organize a response capable of putting pressure on them.
The dispute over Ceuta and Melilla comes as Spain and Morocco have sought to strengthen bilateral ties in recent years, particularly on migration and security cooperation.
Sanchez described cooperation with Morocco on migration as “very positive” and said Spanish security and intelligence agencies had no information linking Moroccan authorities to recent events in Ceuta.
Ceuta and Melilla are Spanish territories on Morocco’s northern coast. Morocco considers them part of its territory, while Spain maintains sovereignty over both cities.
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