Sahara: Congressmen Reaffirm Serious & Credible Character of Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative

Sahara: Congressmen Reaffirm Serious & Credible Character of Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative

A resolution was introduced in the US House of Representatives, highlighting the centuries-old ties between Morocco and the U.S. and underscoring support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a credible, realistic and serious solution to the artificial conflict over the Sahara.

Morocco, which “remains a strong ally and partner for peace in the Middle East and North Africa has long sought a resolution of the Western Sahara conflict through a negotiated process that creates autonomy for the region under Moroccan sovereignty,” said the resolution signed by Congressman Joe Wilson (R-SC), with Congressman Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) and Congressman Gerry Connolly (D-VA).

The resolution reiterated that the autonomy initiative is “serious, realistic, and credible, and represents a path forward to satisfy the aspirations of the people in the Western Sahara to run their own affairs in peace and dignity.”

It added that for 10 years and across three Administrations, United States officials have characterized the proposal for autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty as both ‘‘serious and credible.”

It also pointed out to the UN Security Council Resolution 2414 (2018) criticizing the provocative actions by the Polisario Front in the Sahara territory and calling for the ‘‘immediate withdrawal’’ of the Polisario Front from portions of the Western Sahara and for the group ‘‘to refrain from [any] destabilizing actions.”

The same resolution condemned the alliance between the Polisario separatists and Iran, saying that the actions taken by Iran’s proxy, Hezbollah, to destabilise the region prompted Rabat to cut diplomatic ties with Tehran last May.

Morocco’s Foreign Minister described the U.S. Congressmen resolution as “a powerful reaffirmation of the U.S.-Morocco relationship, which has existed for hundreds of years. Our strong economic and security partnerships are critical to maintaining peace and prosperity around the region. We look forward to continuing our counterterrorism work with the United States and challenging any efforts to destabilize the North Africa region.”

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