Sahara: UN Secretary-General’s report highlights King’s speeches
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has highlighted in his report to the Security Council on the Sahara, published Thursday, the fundamentals of Morocco’s position on its Sahara, as expressed by King Mohammed VI in royal speeches over the past year.
In this context, the Secretary General stressed that on November 6, 2021, on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the Green March, the King had reaffirmed that “the Moroccanness of the Sahara is an immutable and indisputable fact” and that “Morocco is not negotiating over its Sahara.”
Guterres added that the Sovereign also expressed on this occasion “Morocco’s commitment to the process led by the UN” and support for the Secretary-General’s efforts “to relaunch the political process as soon as possible.”
In this speech, King Mohammed VI highlighted the securing of the Guerguerat border crossing on November 13, 2020. The Sovereign also referred to the American proclamation of recognition of the Moroccan Sahara on December 10, 2020, as part of the positive international momentum supporting the Kingdom’s positions on the Moroccan Sahara issue.
the King had, moreover, sent a clear message “to those who display vague or ambivalent positions” making it clear “that Morocco will not engage with them any economic or commercial approach that would exclude the Moroccan Sahara.”
In addition, the UN Secretary General noted in his report the sacredness of the Sahara for the entire Moroccan people, referring to the King’s speech of 20 August 2022, on the occasion of the 69th anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People.
Guterres said that the Sovereign had then stated that the issue of the Moroccan Sahara is “the clear, simple benchmark whereby my country measures the sincerity of friendships and the efficiency of partnerships.”
In the same speech, the Sovereign reiterated the firm American position on the Moroccan Sahara; “a position that is not affected by a change of Administration, nor is it influenced by new circumstances.”
The King also highlighted the growing international support for the autonomy initiative. In this regard, the Sovereign welcomed “the clear, responsible stance of Spain, our neighbor that is well aware of the origins and the reality of the dispute.”
In the same vein, the king had added that “this positive stance has paved the way for a new chapter in the Moroccan-Spanish partnership – a chapter that is not affected by regional circumstances or by domestic political developments.”
The King had also expressed his appreciation for the “constructive position regarding the Autonomy Initiative adopted by a number of European countries – which include Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, Serbia, Hungary, Cyprus and Romania.”
Likewise, the Sovereign expressed his appreciation to “Kings, Emirs and Presidents of Arab sister nations, particularly those of Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Djibouti and the Comoro Islands, which have opened consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla,” as well as “the other Arab countries which have consistently confirmed their support for the Moroccanness of the Sahara, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council States, Egypt and Yemen.”
In his report, the UN Chief also reaffirmed the fundamentals of the UN political process, as advocated by the Security Council in all its resolutions since 2018.
He expressed his conviction that a political solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue is possible, adding that the UN remains willing to convene all parties concerned by the Moroccan Sahara issue in order to achieve a “political solution” in accordance with Security Council resolutions since 2018.
Guterres called in this connection on all concerned parties to urgently seize the opportunity offered by the efforts of the Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, noting that strong political will is needed to find a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution in accordance with resolutions 2440 (2018), 2468 (2019), 2494 (2019), 2548 (2020) and 2602 (2021).
The UN Chief also urged all parties concerned to approach the political process, in this case the roundtables established by the Security Council resolutions since 2018, with an open mind and to waive preconditions for the political process.
