The PNV and Aitor Esteban's statements: a pleasant surprise

Last week, during the debate in the Congress, the deputy and spokesman of the Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Aitor Esteban, made some demonstrations collected by the Europa Press agency on the current situation of the Sahara issue, which had an enormous symbolic impact. On the one hand, the fact that these words came from whoever was coming. On the other hand, because of the direct relationship with the parties involved in the dispute and the issue itself, particularly bearing in mind the very decisive moment surrounding it.  

Within the content of these statements, without doubt the most striking and novel thing was the unprecedented positioning of the Basque nationalist politician with regard to some issues within this subject. Thus, Esteban stated that "a solution must be given to Western Sahara and to do so, we must make Polisario see what is possible and what is impossible". No one is unaware of the geostrategic importance Morocco has acquired for Spain and the European Union, particularly as a result of issues such as terrorism and immigration, and in this respect Aitor Esteban believes "that the Maghreb monarchy is an important player that needs to be looked after due to its geostrategic importance". Finally, he ended by saying that "the Saharan side has missed opportunities, and the world has changed a great deal in recent years".  

The Basque deputy's new statements are surprising, as they come from the spokesman in Madrid of the party with the largest parliamentary representation in the Basque Country. We are facing the community that, historically, has been most committed to helping those who govern in Tindouf. Although apparently under the humanitarian premise, but with the common background of the political affinities that they share, in this case the desire for independence on both sides. In the case of the Basque Country, to an even greater extent by the abertzale left, with which Polisario furthermore shares a greater ideological baggage and closeness. Although in general this support is given by almost all the parties of the Basque parliamentary arch. 

This support has been constant over the decades, in all possible areas of policy, and has also always shown unwavering support for Tindouf in all public interventions when required. Likewise, in the specific case of the PNV, we are talking about the party that has held the head of the Basque government for the longest period of time since the beginning of the current democratic journey in Spain. To this we should add that both this institution and the rest of the local and autonomous Basque administration, whether they be town councils, provincial councils, etc., have been demonstrably generous in terms of subsidies and aid with regard to the Saharan question and its inhabitants living in the Basque Country, but always from a perspective of support for the Polisario and its calls for self-determination. This is what makes the recent statements by Aitor Esteban even more valuable.  

On this last point, and to give two examples that are somewhat separate in time, it is worth remembering the intervention of the Biscayan journalist Ignacio Marín Orio (q.e.p.d.) during the IV UN Commission corresponding to 2010, in which we also had the honour of participating. In it, the journalist criticised the direct aid provided by the Basque Government, through which it had allocated 10 million euros to the Polisario Front over 10 years for nothing less than "improving public transport in the Tindouf camps". Public transport in Tindouf, 10 million euros over 10 years. This was, by way of frivolity regarding the amount and destination of the aid, the denunciation that the journalist made at that time against the Basque Government at the UN headquarters in New York. 

The other example is more recent, although it involves subsidies that are repeated annually. In this case, the City Council of Vitoria led by Gorka Urtaran -also from the PNV-, through its Local Government Board, allocates 320,000 euros to various cooperation projects with the Saharan people to be carried out in 2021, through the agreement with the Association of Friends of SADR. Although, as we said before, this aid has been repeated annually for years, in 2020, due to the current situation resulting from the pandemic we are experiencing, this measure has caused many problems at the local level. It is not difficult to imagine why, especially taking into account for example the ruinous situation of the hotel industry, so lacking in economic aid, in a city and a community where it has such a relevant weight in tourism and social life.  

On the other hand, it is worth noting the accentuated activism of the mayor of that town in favour of the cause defended by the Polisario. In fact, Urtaran attended the session of the Human Rights Council held in Geneva in June 2019, to "present the report A Gap in the Wall on the violation of rights in Western Sahara". Likewise, just five months later, he hosted the EUCOCO in Vitoria, the traditional annual meeting of the friends of the Polisario in Spain. And where some Saharawis who took part in parallel events to defend the autonomy position offered by Morocco were scorned, threatened and insulted by Polisario-affiliated Saharawis living in the area. 

Those two examples just mentioned are just two drops of water in the middle of the ocean, there are many more we could add, happened over the years. The problem lies, beyond the granting of aid and its typology, in the destination of the aid and the accountability of those who have to administer it. This transparency, especially in the case of camp-based aid, is questionable.  

On the other hand, on a positive note, and returning to the statements of Aitor Esteban, since the beginning of this new chapter, which was triggered by the events in Guerguerat last November, we have witnessed a certain lack of clarity regarding the public position of certain political leaders. In this connection, if Polisario was seeking greater visibility of the dispute in order to bring it out of its ostracism, it has probably come up against a very different effect than might have been expected.  

There are several examples, one of the most noteworthy being that of former president Zapatero. Just two days after Polisario declared a state of war, he was scheduled for a prime-time interview on one of the most important political programmes on television in Spain. At one point, a journalist with a clear pro-Polisario bias took the opportunity to question Zapatero in a reproachful tone about his position in the conflict. As is usual when talking about this issue, Zapatero said categorically that the solution lies in dialogue and agreement. And he mentioned the expression "proposal of very broad autonomy offered by Morocco".  

This was probably the first time that this proposal had been heard in Spain, by someone of its importance, on prime-time television for the general public. For him this question almost always pivots in favour of Polisario, and for whom possible alternatives are unknown. The next day it was the turn of the former French Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and so on. Even Aitor Esteban, in addition to the aforementioned demonstrations, publicly acknowledged the significance of US President Donald Trump's recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.  

There is no doubt that these public displays of reproach towards Polisario by its staunchest supporters such as the PNV should be duly taken into account by them, making them reflect and teaching them that the best path is sometimes the simplest, in which of course the solution is not in weapons. Similarly, a good part of the Saharawi population is calling for this dialogue and an agreed solution, in which the proposal of autonomy seems the best option. 

Likewise, because of all that has been described above and what they represent in terms of who they come from, the relevance of these manifestations is beyond doubt. Nevertheless, we must be a little cautious, since apart from its historical support for the Polisario, the PNV is known for its ability to get close to the tree that gives the most shade, and this may not be an exception within its classic game of ambiguities. In any event, these words should be viewed positively, in the hope that they will have some effect in the future on the erratic and dangerous decisions of the leaders of the self-proclaimed SADR. They are words that come from your own comrades, and friends should be heard. It would be a pleasant surprise.