Settlement of Sahara conflict conducive to peace, development, prosperity in whole region, letter to President Biden outlines
Joining their voice to that of politicians and elected representatives from Africa, Europe and Latin American, civil society activists have also stressed the importance of supporting the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a serious, credible and objective mechanism and as the only basis to achieve a just and lasting solution to the artificial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
In a letter addressed to US President Joe Biden, on Saturday Feb.27, Latin American and African civil society activists underscored that the resolution of this conflict will ensure both peace, development, and prosperity in the Sahara region, and highlighted the particular interest Morocco grants to this region and to its economic development.
The signatories of this letter stressed that the Moroccan autonomy initiative will allow the Kingdom to preserve its sovereignty and its territorial integrity, while the local population will be in charge of local management and economic, social, cultural and environmental planning, while the constitutional, religious, security and foreign relations fields will remain under the responsibility of the central authorities. This will create a climate propitious for development, the letter signatories said.
They further affirmed that the decision last December by the United States to recognize Morocco’s full sovereignty over its Sahara is a, important, realistic position that is likely to guarantee the values of freedom and economic development.
The signatories also highlighted the strategic, economic and cultural importance of the Sahara region as well as the interest of an efficient governance of the region, underlining Morocco’s status as an important ally for freedom and fight against terrorism in the region.
The settlement of the Sahara conflict requires an autonomy guaranteeing stability and development, they said, arguing that the Moroccanness of the Sahara remains the only basis to resolve the conflict which has lasted too long and to guarantee stability and freedoms.
