Sahara: Morocco’s FM meets De Mistura & reminds him of Rabat’s constant position

Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita conferred on Friday in Rabat with UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara Staffan De Mistura in presence of Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilal.

De Mistura’s trip to Morocco is part of a visit to the region with a view to re-launching the roundtable political process with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the polisario, in line with UN Security Council resolutions, notably resolution 2654, adopted on October 27, 2022, says a statement issued by the Moroccan Foreign ministry.

During the meeting, the Moroccan delegation underlined the constants of Morocco’s position, as reaffirmed by King Mohammed VI in the speech he delivered on November 6, 2022 on the occasion of the Green March celebration, advocating “a political solution, based exclusively on the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, within the frame of the Kingdom’s national sovereignty and territorial integrity,” notes the statement.

Before landing in Rabat, De Mistura visited Laayoune and Dakhla, where he held a series of meetings with elected officials, Chioukhs, local notables and economic stakeholders. He also met with representatives of civil society, young people, and women.

All these interlocutors informed the UN Sahara envoy about the economic and social boom and the political and democratic dynamic that the two regions of the Moroccan Sahara are experiencing.

De Mistura also visited socio-economic investment and infrastructure projects, and witnessed first-hand the progress made in implementing the New Development Model for the Southern Provinces, launched in 2015 by King Mohammed VI.

According to reliable sources quoted by news outlet Le360, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara plans to meet with several ambassadors accredited in Morocco, especially those from the member countries of the United Nations Security Council. The meeting will focus on Staffan de Mistura’s visit to the Kingdom.

In addition to Staffan de Mistura, the informal meeting is expected to bring together Puneet Talwar, the Ambassador of the United States to Morocco, as well as the heads or representatives of the diplomatic missions of France, the United Kingdom, Russia, and China. Other foreign ambassadors accredited in Morocco have also been invited to join this meeting, aimed at informing them about the content of the visit made by the Personal Envoy for the Sahara to the Kingdom, the same sources told Le360.

Last Monday, the UN released a statement saying the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General “is looking forward to conducting visits in the region and meetings, engaging all concerned ahead of the issuance of the report of the Secretary-General to the Security Council in October.”

Mr. Staffan de Mistura “looks forward to further deepening consultations with all concerned on the prospects of constructively advancing the political process on Western Sahara in the course of these regional engagements,” added the UN statement.

The Personal Envoy is planning to report on his visits and engagements to the Secretary-General as well as to the Security Council in October, underlined the UN.