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As some Republican voices in the United States question Spain’s «sovereignty» over Ceuta and Melilla, including Representative Mario Díaz-Balart, an ally of Marco Rubio, John Bolton has moved to reassure the Spanish authorities.
The former national security adviser to Donald Trump during his first term in the White House dismissed the idea that Morocco could replace Spain in its strategic role in the Mediterranean. «Spain has always been an Atlantic power», he said in an interview with a Spanish public media outlet.
Bolton nevertheless described Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez’s decision to bar the US military from using the Morón and Rota bases, which are part of the NATO framework, to carry out strikes against Iran as a «serious mistake».
«This contributes to a broader deterioration in Trump’s view of NATO», he stressed, without ruling out a reduction in the number of US troops stationed in Spain, or even a partial withdrawal. «It is a possibility», he added.
John Bolton was also asked about his support for the Polisario’s positions, particularly the holding of a referendum in Western Sahara. «I think the Trump administration made a mistake by recognizing Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara», he said, a message he has repeated since December 2020.
The former US official also pushed back against calls from lawmakers and think tanks in the United States to place the Polisario on the US list of terrorist organizations. «I have worked with the Polisario for 35 years and I have never seen the slightest sign of terrorism», he said.
As a reminder, the United States, the European Union, the United Nations, as well as many Arab and European countries, condemned the May 5 attack on the city of Es-Smara, which was attributed to armed Polisario elements.
