The Moroccan Parliament expressed on Monday total mobilization behind King Mohammed VI in defending the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and Moroccanness of the Sahara.
This unanimous position was expressed by the lawmakers during an extraordinary session convened by the two Chambers of the Parliament
following the non-renewal the MINURSO mandate by the UN Security Council, putting an end to an outdated UN mission established in 1991.
After 35 years and billions of dollars spent, no progress has been made and the UN-led political process remains stalled due to Algeria and Polisario disengagement and procrastination.
The MPs, representing all political parties, praised the Royal Office statement issued Oct.30 following the UNSC meeting on the Sahara and commended the efforts made by the Royal diplomacy to end definitively this five-decade-long regional conflict.
During the Parliament plenary session, the leaders of political parties said the Royal Office statement is a game-changer as it shifts away from the previous approach of a mere management logic of the Sahara issue to an approach aimed at profoundly transforming the parameters with a view to resolving this regional conflict.
The MPs said the non-renewal of the MINURSO mandate represents a significant step toward the definitive closure of the Moroccan Sahara issue at the United Nations, hailing the Kingdom’s commitment to the ceasefire and its determination to defend its territorial integrity, national security, and the tranquility of its citizens.
The MPs have commended the far-sighted royal diplomacy which spurred international momentum in favor Morocco national cause and gained a growing recognition of the realistic Autonomy plan offered for the Sahara under the Kingdom’ sovereignty.
The vote of eleven countries for the latest US-draft resolution at UN Security Council shows the widely international support for the Moroccan position, said the Moroccan lawmakers, recalling last year resolution 2797 adopted by the Security Council which endorsed the Autonomy Plan under Moroccan sovereignty as the only basis for reaching a lasting solution the Sahara conflict.
The MPs stressed the need to build on the diplomatic gains achieved and the socio-economic progress accomplished by the Kingdom in the Sahara by strengthening national unity, the domestic front, and by advancing territorial and social justice.
Members of the two Chambers of Parliament called on Algeria to shoulder its full legal and humanitarian responsibilities regarding the sufferings endured by the Sahrawis sequestered in the Tindouf camps, citing the peaceful and realistic solution offered by Rabat to end their tragedy and reunify them with their homeland, Morocco.
Many Sahrawis trapped in the Polisario-controlled Tindouf camps, Southern Algeria, wish to return to Morocco, but both the Polisario and the Algerian military refuse to allow them, for fear of exposing their sham cause or losing access to the humanitarian aid from which Algerian Generals profit.
