ALGIERS: Algeria recalled its ambassador from Madrid on Saturday in protest at Spain’s decision to back a Moroccan autonomy plan for the disputed former Spanish colony of Western Sahara.

A foreign ministry statement condemned the “abrupt about-turn” by Madrid, which had previously maintained neutrality in the decades-old conflict for the territory between Morocco and the Algerian-backed Polisario Front independence movement.

Speaking Friday, Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares backed a 2007 proposal by Morocco to offer Western Sahara autonomy under its sovereignty, describing it as the “most serious, realistic and credible basis” to end the long-running conflict.

“Completely stunned by the statements on the Western Sahara issue from the highest levels of the Spanish government, and surprised by this abrupt about-turn from Western Sahara’s former rulers, the Algerian authorities have decided to recall the ambassador to Madrid for consultations with immediate effect,” the statement said.

The Polisario had already responded angrily to the statement from Albares, calling for political pressure to be put on Madrid for a change of heart. The movement still insists on full implementation of a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United Nations in 1991 that provided for a UN-supervised referendum on independence for the territory.

“The United Nations, the African Union, the European Union, the International Court of Justice, the European Court of Justice and all regional organisations do not recognise Moroccan sovereignty over the Western Sahara,” it said.

Published in Dawn, March 20th, 2022