They have been Spanish possessions for centuries  The cities of Ceuta and Melilla have been an integral part of Spain’s territory and to cede them would be a compromise of territorial integrity. The two cities have been part of Spain for almost as long as the country has existed. The marriage of Isabelle I of Castile and Ferdinand II of Aragon united two major regions of Spain in 1469. The conquest of Granada finally joined the South of the country with the North in 1492. The capture of Melilla was only five years later, and Ceuta was merged in to the country less than a century afterwards. These cities are an integral part of Spain and should therefore remain Spanish.  1) Snelling,N. ‘The history of Spain, Spain’s unification and elevation to world power’, Culture Spain, data accessed 21 January 2014