"Ceuta and Melilla are not just Spanish, they are quintessentially Spanish and untouchable", said Spain's Defence Minister Margarita Robles, speaking days after the surge of irregular migrants from Morocco who stormed the Spanish border last July.
The sovereignty of Ceuta and Melilla regularly returns to public debate, fuelled by Rabat's claims and by renewed migratory tensions on the North African border. After the migration crisis that unfolded in Ceuta, several Moroccan politicians seized the moment to call for both Spanish autonomous cities to become part of Morocco.
