Sahara: UN Chief underlines Morocco’s commitment to ceasefire, cooperation with MINURSO
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres highlighted Morocco’s steadfast commitment to the ceasefire in the Sahara and military agreements and highlighted the “close cooperation” between the Moroccan authorities and MINURSO.
In his latest report to the Security Council on the Sahara that was published on the UN website, Guterres said that he “notes Morocco’s stated intention to remain respectful of the ceasefire and the provisions of the military agreements and to maintain close cooperation with MINURSO at all levels.”
The Secretary General emphasized as exemplary the attitude of Morocco which continues to respect its commitments, as well as the resolutions of the Security Council, despite the violations of these resolutions and of the ceasefire by Algeria and the Polisario.
This statement from the UN Chief underpins the commitment expressed to him by King Mohammed VI, during the telephone call of November 16, 2020.
During this telephone call, the King reaffirmed to Mr. Guterres Morocco’s steadfast commitment to the ceasefire. Likewise, the Kingdom remains firmly determined to react, with the utmost severity and within the framework of legitimate defense, to any threat to its security and the peace of its citizens.
Furthermore, Guterres slammed the violations by the Polisario, on Algeria’s instructions, of the ceasefire and military agreements, as well as its restrictions on the movement and supplies of MINURSO, in clear violation of Security Council resolutions.
The UN Chief ordered the polisario, which announced its withdrawal from the ceasefire, to return to it, underlining the critical need to re-establish the ceasefire.
Regarding Morocco’s relationship with MINURSO, Guterres highlighted, once again, “the continued cooperation and communication at the strategic level between MINURSO and the Royal Armed Forces”, including through the “two visits to the headquarters of the General Staff of the FAR, the South Zone, in Agadir, in September 2022 and July 2023”.
The UN Secretary General said these permanent contacts were translated at the operational level, by the holding of three meetings “between the military component of MINURSO and the FAR, one in Laâyoune in November 2022 and two in Agadir in December 2022 and January 2023, respectively”.
He further indicated that MINURSO was able to carry out the visits it desired to units of the Royal Armed Forces, as part of its ceasefire supervision mandate.
The UNSG also highlighted Morocco’s cooperation in demining. He stressed in this vein that Morocco “responded positively to MINURSO’s request to resume demining activities”, to the east of the defense system in the Moroccan Sahara, thus affirming that any action by MINURSO, throughout the Moroccan Sahara, is being done with the consent of Morocco and shattering the chimera of so-called “liberated territories”, which Algeria and the Polisario promote.
The UN Secretary-General also welcomed the freedom of movement exercised by MINURSO in the Moroccan Sahara, allowing it to implement its ceasefire supervision mandate, in the best operational conditions possible.
