{"id":3974,"date":"2026-02-13T14:28:55","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T14:28:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/?p=3974"},"modified":"2026-02-13T17:30:51","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T17:30:51","slug":"spanish-foreign-minister-exposes-oppositions-double-game-pp-sends-secret-envoys-to-morocco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/spanish-foreign-minister-exposes-oppositions-double-game-pp-sends-secret-envoys-to-morocco\/","title":{"rendered":"Spanish Foreign Minister Exposes Opposition\u2019s Double Game: PP Sends Secret Envoys to Morocco"},"content":{"rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4193\" data-end=\"4551\">Spanish Foreign Minister Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares revealed on Wednesday in the Spanish Parliament what he described as the \u201chypocrisy\u201d of the opposition Popular Party (PP) on the Sahara issue. Publicly, the party rejects Madrid\u2019s support for Morocco\u2019s autonomy plan, while behind the scenes, it reportedly sends delegations to Rabat to back the same initiative.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4553\" data-end=\"4595\">A Heated Parliamentary Confrontation<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"4597\" data-end=\"5061\">During a tense parliamentary debate with PP deputies, Albares did not hesitate to call their conduct \u201cduplicitous and absurd,\u201d emphasizing that the party\u2019s actions harm Spain\u2019s international image. He also accused the PP of attempting to \u201csabotage Spanish diplomacy\u201d on multiple fronts, including European funds, recognition of official languages, and even the friendship treaty with France, while spreading \u201crumors\u201d about a possible gas supply cut from Algeria.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Spanish Foreign Minister Exposes Opposition\u2019s Double Game: PP Sends Secret Envoys to Morocco <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/r2admtl2gs\">pic.twitter.com\/r2admtl2gs<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Diplomatique.ma \u0627\u0644\u062f\u0628\u0644\u0648\u0645\u0627\u0633\u064a\u0629 (@diplomatique_ma) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/diplomatique_ma\/status\/2022333961641537684?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">February 13, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5063\" data-end=\"5226\">This parliamentary session, marked by direct exchanges of accusations, highlighted Albares\u2019 central point: the PP\u2019s double stance damages Spain\u2019s external image.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5228\" data-end=\"5274\">Moroccan Context: Nizar Baraka\u2019s Efforts<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5276\" data-end=\"5689\">On the Moroccan side, Nizar Baraka, Secretary General of the Istiqlal Party and Minister of Equipment and Water, has played a key role in encouraging the PP to support Morocco\u2019s autonomy proposal. Over recent months, he has conducted a series of diplomatic initiatives to align the Spanish opposition with the official stance of the Pedro S\u00e1nchez government, which has supported the initiative since March 2022.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"5691\" data-end=\"6045\">According to Europa Press, Baraka stressed that the Sahara issue should be approached \u201cfrom a strategic perspective, beyond partisan considerations,\u201d adding that supporting Morocco would not only serve bilateral interests but also contribute to regional stability, curb irregular migration, and strengthen economic cooperation between Rabat and Madrid.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6047\" data-end=\"6080\">Mixed Messages and Outcomes<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6082\" data-end=\"6609\">Despite these efforts, tensions remain. The PP justifies its caution by citing the government\u2019s lack of \u201csufficient justification\u201d for unilaterally changing Spain\u2019s historical stance, particularly after a Polisario representative participated in a party conference. Baraka, however, remains confident that \u201chis friends\u201d in the PP will eventually take a positive step in favor of Moroccan autonomy, noting that the Spanish PP belongs to the European People\u2019s Party, where the majority supports Morocco\u2019s territorial integrity.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6611\" data-end=\"6673\">Analysis: Between Secret Diplomacy and Partisan Politics<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6675\" data-end=\"6967\">This confrontation reflects a broader political phenomenon: the divergence between public discourse and behind-the-scenes action. While the PP seeks to maintain a strong opposition image, its secret contacts with Rabat reveal an attempt to balance partisan interests with European strategy.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"6969\" data-end=\"7218\">Morocco, for its part, monitors these developments closely and leverages flexible diplomacy, securing opposition support while avoiding escalation, demonstrating that pragmatic solutions on the ground can align with cross-border strategic visions.<\/p>\n<h3 style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7220\" data-end=\"7236\">Conclusion<\/h3>\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\" data-start=\"7238\" data-end=\"7516\">Between public declarations and secret negotiations, Morocco emerges as a determined actor, capable of leveraging Spanish political complexities to consolidate autonomy as a practical solution to the Sahara conflict, while maintaining stable and strategic bilateral relations.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Spanish Foreign Minister Jos\u00e9 Manuel Albares revealed on Wednesday in the Spanish Parliament what he described as the \u201chypocrisy\u201d of the opposition Popular Party (PP) on the Sahara issue. Publicly, the party rejects Madrid\u2019s support for Morocco\u2019s autonomy plan, while behind the scenes, it reportedly sends delegations to Rabat to back the same initiative. A [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3975,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,42,41,76],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-3974","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-africa","8":"category-europe-russia","9":"category-middle-east","10":"category-the-maghreb"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3974","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3974"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3974\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3976,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3974\/revisions\/3976"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3975"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3974"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3974"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/diplomatique.ma\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3974"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}