The Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, has sent this Thursday a letter to the President of the Senate, Pedro Rollán, in which she notifies him that she will not attend next week the Defense Commission of the Upper House to address the migratory crisis of Ceuta, as claimed by the PP, arguing that she does not have "sufficient" time to prepare her intervention.
In the letter sent to Pedro Rollán, which Europa Press has accessed, Robles rejects the summons for next week, although she reiterates her "full willingness" to appear before the Defense Commission when the ordinary session period resumes.
Initially, the Government had indicated that the ministers called by the PP to the Senate to inform about the situation in Ceuta would not attend, as they had already requested to appear in Congress at the end of the month.
However, the 'popular' later assured that they had agreed with Robles to postpone her appearance until August 18, after the one scheduled for this Thursday was canceled, a point that Moncloa avoided confirming publicly.
Now, the head of Defense has chosen to formally communicate to the President of the Senate that she will not attend the Defense Commission next week and proposes to set a new date starting in September, coinciding with the beginning of the new parliamentary session.
After her trip to Ceuta
The letter to Pedro Rollán is sent a day after the minister traveled this Wednesday to Ceuta to meet with its president, Juan Vivas, after the massive entry of migrants into the autonomous city.
"After my intense visit yesterday to Ceuta and the meetings held with the Armed Forces deployed (...) I understand from the responsibility, that for a detailed appearance in the Senate, out of respect for that Chamber, it is necessary for me to have more time to prepare it with a minimum of rigor and detail," Robles states in her writing.
The minister insists on rejecting the appointment for next week to "be able to be precise and exhaustive" in her presentation and to have "sufficient" time to prepare it adequately.
Reaction of the PP
After learning the content of the letter, the PP has issued a statement in which it claims that it had "no doubts" that the minister would be "invited" by Moncloa to "rectify" her initial decision and, ultimately, not attend the Senate to provide explanations.
"Pedro Sánchez referred to Margarita Robles as "the bird" in his conversations with José Luis Ábalos and it seems he has decided to cage his minister after she confirmed in writing to the president of the Senate her "full willingness to appear" in the Defense commission to explain the management of her Ministry in the invasion of Ceuta," criticize the 'populars'.
In any case, the PP maintains that Robles "is not a victim," but "another pawn in the service of sanchismo who knows how to apply the same excuses as the president to evade her obligation to submit to parliamentary control."
"In fact, if Robles had given those explanations that the PP demands, the minister would have put Marlaska, Albares, and Bolaños in a serious bind," adds the party, which sarcastically notes that it remains to be seen whether Sánchez "will force Robles" to retract her statements about the Spanishness of Ceuta and Melilla.
The mystery of the "empty chair"
This Wednesday, the appearance of the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, was also scheduled, but he ultimately did not show up, and the PP chose to maintain the extraordinary session of the Interior Commission, leaving the empty chair of the absent participant visible.
On that occasion, the 'populars' warned Marlaska of possible "legal and political" consequences for not attending the extraordinary commission dedicated to the situation in Ceuta.
It remains to be seen now whether the PP will maintain the extraordinary call for next Tuesday in the Defense Commission and repeat the same staging as in Interior.
Regarding the appearances, Minister Marlaska has also spoken from Ceuta, defending that the Government "at no time" has failed to fulfill its obligation to appear, although he emphasized that it cannot be "overlooked" that the crisis in Ceuta continues to be "active".