Spanish Sahara
Socialist Press1975 1975-11-12Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 2 →
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As we go to press, King Hassan of Morocco prepares to lead his 350,000 unarmed 'peace marchers' into the minefields and gunsights of the Spanish foreign legion. The Foreign Legion, should the need arise, will be joined within a matter of hours by jet fighters from Torrejon and 2,000 paratroops from the Canary Islands.
In the face of this force, brandishing only the sacred book of Allah, King Hassan's marchers will attempt to cross the frontier from Morocco into the Spanish Saharan colony, where Governor Gomez de Slazar has issued a warning that "the consequences will be terrible". In this he is undoubtedly correct.
King Hassan's desert Four Indian soldiers were killed when a small border patrol clashed with a detachment of about forty Chinese troops somewhere on the eastern frontier with China on October 20th, according to a delayed statement by the Indian foreign office on November Ist.
The incident - the most important since the fighting in the disputed areas of Ladakh, eastern Kashmir, in 1962 - immediately provided the pretext for Mrs.
Gandhi's dictatorship to renew its nationatistic pressure on China to relinquish its claims along the Himalayan border - more than a thousand miles long - which divides the two states.
The Chinese foreign office disputed the Indian claim that the clash had taken place on Indian - tha Instian frarras is designed to get hold of valuable phosphate deposits which lie under the Spanish Sahara. The Spanish government is prepared to relinquish the colony if an arrangement can be arrived at protecting its right to the phosphate.
To this end negotiations have been underway for some time between Morocco and Madrid. Spanish bargaining power is strengthened by the fact that Hassan, in laying claim to the Spanish colony, is defying a ruling of the world court.
Secondly there is no large body of opinion among the population of the colony for absorption into Morocco. The largest nationalist guerilla movement, Polisario, opposes both Hassan's designs and the march.
Thirdly, the most important factor is that the Algerian government is also determined that the phosphate deposits shall not pass to Hassan, and for this reason supports the Polisario guerrilla demand for independence. Consequently if Moroccan troops attempt to clear a way for the holy marchers they are likely to face not only the Spanish foreign legion but also Polisario and Algerian forces as well.
As far as Juan Carlos is concerned, the Spaaish Sahara question could not have occurred at a more opportune moment. It provided the pretext for the final transfer of power to him effectively even thoug the fast decomposing Franco has stubbornly refused to relinquish it.
Furthermore Juan Carlos' support for the army's wish to stand and fight against any Moroccan invasion has strengthened his support in the Army as his immediate power base in the coming political struggle in Spain.