UN: Rabat accuses Algiers of obstructing appointment of new UN Sahara Envoy

Morocco has accused Algeria and the Polisario of obstructing the UN-led political process for the resolution of the Sahara conflict, saying that in less than three months they snubbed two candidates proposed by the UN Chief as a new UN envoy for the Sahara in replacement of Horst Köhler who stepped down in May 2019.

 

In a letter addressed to the UN Security Council members ahead of their meeting scheduled Apr.21 on the Sahara, Morocco’s ambassador to UN Omar Hilale deplored the obstructions by Algeria and the Polisario of the appointment of a new Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara and slammed their procrastinations to resume the UN political process.

 

Morocco has accepted the candidacy proposed by the UN Secretary-General of former Romanian Prime Minister, Petre Roman and the candidacy of ex-Portuguese Foreign Minister, Luis Amado as new UN Sahara envoy, added the diplomat.

“Through its positive responses to these proposals, Morocco reaffirms its commitment to support the exclusive UN-led efforts for the settlement of this dispute and shows its respect to the Security Council resolutions,” said the ambassador.

“However, Algeria and the polisario continue to block the UN political process. In less than three months, they have refused the candidacies of Petre Roman and Luis Amado. This is a flagrant violation of resolution 2548, which called for the appointment of a new Personal Envoy as soon as possible”, underlined Mr. Hilale in his letter to the UN Security Council.

“This obstruction is an offensive act to the authority of the Secretary-General, showing an utter contempt for the Security Council resolutions. It also shows the hypocrisy of Algeria and the polisario. Publicly, they call for the appointment of a new Sahara envoy and resumption of the political process, but they have rejected all qualified and high profile candidates proposed by the Secretary General,” said Mr. Hilale.

 

Thus, Algeria and the polisario should bear the full responsibility for blocking the UN political process, demanded by the Security Council, added the Moroccan ambassador.

He also recalled the telephone conversation King Mohammed VI held (Nov.16, 2020) with UN Chief Antonio Guterres, during which the Monarch had reaffirmed that “Morocco will continue to support the efforts of the United Nations in the framework of the political process, which should involve the real parties”.

“In this framework, Algeria is the main stakeholder which created and mobilizes all its resources to perpetuate this dispute. It must shoulder its responsibilities by contributing fully to the roundtable process, as cited in Security Council resolutions 2440, 2468, 2494 and 2548, to achieve a realistic, pragmatic and enduring political solution to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara”, stressed the diplomat.

“The serious and credible autonomy plan, under Morocco’s sovereignty, supported in 17 UN Security Council resolutions since 2007, is the only solution to this dispute,” Morocco’s permanent representative to UN underlined in his letter.