The PP and Vox have demanded this Tuesday from the Minister of Defense, Margarita Robles, that during her extraordinary appearance in Congress she clarify whether it is she or the Minister of the Interior, Fernando Grande-Marlaska, who is telling the truth about the existence of prior warnings from the Intelligence services before the massive entry of migrants in Ceuta. In addition, they have asked her to detail the role played by Morocco in those events.
The spokesperson for the PP, Ester Muñoz, has directly questioned the minister: "Who is lying, Mrs. Robles? The CNI? The CIFAS? The National Police? Or Marlaska, who said he had not received any information? Because both have said two contradictory things at the same time," she pointed out, emphasizing that she trusts the Armed Forces more than the Minister of the Interior, who reiterated this Tuesday, in the press conference after the Government Council, that he did not receive any Intelligence report about the avalanche of thousands of immigrants in Ceuta.
Muñoz has also demanded that Robles clarify "who has attacked" Spain and provide the official version of the Executive regarding Morocco's involvement. "One part of the Government says it is Morocco, which you have not mentioned," the PP leader emphasized.
The popular spokesperson has also questioned why the Government did not summon the Moroccan ambassador for consultations after the Minister of Justice of that country reiterated on two occasions that Ceuta and Melilla are Moroccan, and has criticized that Spain has opened a diplomatic conflict with Italy but not with the Alaouite regime.
A crisis that "has been brewing for years"
Muñoz has defended that the crisis in Ceuta did not start on July 30, but that it "has been brewing for years," recalling as a precedent the illegal entry of about 10,000 people in 2021, "which already demonstrated that the southern border could be used as an extraordinary pressure instrument" against Spain.
In her intervention, she cited the National Security Strategy of 2021 and the Annual National Security Report, documents that, as she explained, already warned of the need to intensify surveillance in Ceuta and Melilla and of the increase in migratory pressure on both autonomous cities.
It has also criticized the Government for not activating the National Security Law or establishing a single command after the events of July 30 and 31, and has questioned the orders and the legal framework with which the Armed Forces were deployed in Ceuta. It has reproached Robles for not granting the military the functions of agents of the State Security Forces and Corps.
Muñoz has closed his intervention demanding that the Executive provide explanations, assume responsibilities, and call for elections, accusing the Government of having allowed "the world to think that Spain is vulnerable."
PP proposes a "confrontation" between Robles and Marlaska
After the appearance, the PP has opened the door to requesting a "confrontation" between the ministers of Interior and Defense to clarify "which of the two is lying," according to sources from the party led by Alberto Núñez Feijóo.
The popular party has also criticized that the Government considered the crisis resolved 48 hours after the massive entry and, however, has now approved a plan valid until the end of the year. In their view, this shows that "neither the problem is solved nor does the Government expect to solve it for at least four months."
The PP has also demanded that the Executive's actions focus on the "immediate return" of all citizens who illegally entered Spain through Ceuta and has censured that, almost a month later, the Government still has not specified how many entered or how many remain in national territory. They also argue that the president should resign whether the Intelligence services alerted about possible massive entries and no action was taken, or if such warnings were not issued.
Vox claims to have "evidence" of Intelligence warnings
For its part, the spokesperson for Vox in the Defense Commission, Alberto Asarta, has assured that his group has "evidence" that the State's information services "did know what was going to happen" and has directly asked Robles if he can guarantee that no Intelligence service warned in advance of the massive entry. "80,000 people do not gather near the border without the Intelligence services of Spain and Morocco being aware of it," he has pointed out.
Asarta has also referred to Marlaska's insistence that there were no Intelligence reports on Ceuta, something that, he said, "disproves Robles." Likewise, he has accused the Moroccan Government of being "disloyal" and has stated that "everything points to its involvement" in what happened in the autonomous city. "Good neighborliness is not this," he added.
Regarding his proposals, Vox has demanded a permanent deployment and reinforcement of the Armed Forces to prevent new episodes that it considers "hybrid warfare" through the use of mass immigration against Spain.
Asarta has defended that, if a situation like that experienced on July 30 and 31 were to repeat, the Government should show "the political will to employ all the resources that the State legitimately puts at its disposal," including the Armed Forces, proportionally, in accordance with International Law and for the necessary time to restore normalcy, ensure the protection of borders, and safeguard the territorial integrity of Spain.
UPN speaks of "submission" of the Government to Morocco
From the Mixed Group, its spokesperson, Alberto Catalán (UPN), has also asked Robles to clarify "who is lying" about the existence of reports prior to the massive entry into Ceuta and has warned that, if his version clashes with Marlaska's, "someone will have to take responsibility." He has also asked him if he believes that Pedro Sánchez "has been up to the circumstances" and if he has acted "in the right way and at the right time" in the face of a crisis of this magnitude.
Catalán has accused the Government of maintaining a "kneeling and submissive" stance towards Morocco and has asserted that Rabat has used its own citizens and has questioned the sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla again. He has also asked for clarification on whether the Executive vetoed at any time the presence of the King in Ceuta and has insisted that the Spanish identity of both cities "is not defended only with words, but also especially with actions."