The United States began bombing Yemen while his American counterpart, Anthony Blinken, finished a tour in the Middle East to prevent escalation. Is Spain worried?
Obviously, the situation in the Middle East worries me greatly, because there is a spiral of violence that began on October 7 with the terrorist attack launched by Hamas on Israel, and continues with the Israeli response that does not distinguish on occasions between the civilian population and the terrorists. Objectives. Thousands of unarmed civilians have already been killed in Israeli bombing. On the tenth of this month, a resolution was issued in the UN Security Council, condemning the actions of the Houthis, and mentioning freedom of navigation on the high seas as a basic principle of the international right to preserve it.
Why doesn't Spain want to send ships to the Red Sea?
One does not have to be in every process that exists. Spain currently has the largest number of troops deployed in UN, EU and NATO missions: 3,000 soldiers in very important operations. […]. Spain's commitment to international missions is unquestionable.
The United States made three calls in this regard, one from Joe Biden. Do they pay?
of course not. I did not receive any calls from my counterpart or any pressure or complaints.
And are we angry with the United States after we learned that they paid CIA spies in exchange for official secrets?
Between friends, these matters are resolved by speaking clearly, out of friendship. This is what we did.
On Friday, hearings into Israel's alleged genocide ended in The Hague. If they impose the precautionary measure to stop military operations, will Spain be prepared to respond?
We will always support and abide by their rulings, but we will not speak until they are issued.
Pedro Sanchez He led criticism of Israel for its alleged transgressions in Gaza. Is it time to move from words of condemnation to action?
In the coming days, the EU Foreign Affairs Council will be held where we will discuss the situation. Spain will speak in this Council in defense of the Palestinian civilian population and humanitarian access, and we will demand a permanent ceasefire. The establishment of the Palestinian state and its international recognition.
It is possible that Sanchez will come out tomorrow and make a public statement saying that Spain recognizes the Palestinian state. What's stopping him?
nothing. But we want dialogue with all our European partners, friends and allies in the world. Because, apart from nominal recognition, what we are trying to promote at the present time is the recognition of a realistic, viable state, with Gaza and the West Bank under the Palestinian National Authority, linking the two regions, with an exit to the sea. Its capital is East Jerusalem.
Do we really have partners to take this step forward?
There is a dialogue with European partners on this topic.
What do you mean by doubts about Israel's respect for international law?
We have said many times that a distinction must be made between terrorist targets and civilian targets; Hospitals, places of worship and United Nations headquarters cannot, under any circumstances, be military targets. We have condemned the aggressive settlement policy in the West Bank, which violates international law.
The United States and the United Kingdom banned the entry of violent Israeli settlers. Spain?
At the last Foreign Affairs Council, which discussed this measure, we were in favor of it.
The situation in Ukraine seems stagnant.
We will support Ukraine until it returns to peace within the United Nations, and regains its sovereignty and territorial integrity.
Spain claims that the necessary tests have already been carried out to open customs in Ceuta and Melilla. Why does Morocco claim that there are technical problems?
I said in Rabat with my colleague Nacer Zurita that Spain is ready. He said that the decision had been taken by Morocco to begin work. And the entire roadmap will be implemented.
The opposition demands to know the agreement with Morocco..
Agreements are public and signed. The recent high-level meeting (RAN) produced the largest number of agreements in the history of RAN meetings. I am surprised by this dangerous anti-Moroccan shift sDeeper and more serious than ever since Mr. Figo came to the presidency of the People's Party.
One of the alleged benefits of rapprochement in exchange for handing over Western Sahara was the control of irregular migration flows. However, in 2023 almost 40 thousand people arrived. Will he meet Morocco?
Morocco is a strategic partner, also in the war against the human trafficking mafia […]. If you compare these numbers with those of other Mediterranean routes, you will find that they are much lower. Morocco continues its cooperation, and without its cooperation it would be much greater. In addition, the bulk of migration now comes from sub-Saharan Africa.
What is the obstacle to reaching an agreement on Gibraltar?
We have proposed a generous and balanced agreement for what should be a shared prosperity zone. Mobility is sought, the freedom of movement of people and goods, the disappearance of all physical barriers so that freedom of movement and hence shared use of the airport can be granted.
Recognition of Kosovo passports, is it the first step towards official recognition?
of course not. This is one of the fake news of the People's Party […]. But Spain will never be an obstacle to dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina. Nor for rapprochement between Pristina and the European Union. Because this province of Kosovo is located within the Western Balkans, and goes to the European Union summits with the Western Balkans. The High Representative has done a commendable job and we support her. We can't pretend it doesn't exist. But this does not mean recognizing sovereignty.
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