UN-Sahara: Morocco Reaffirms to De Mistura its Clear, Constant & Firm Position

Moroccan foreign minister Nasser Bourita conferred Sunday in New York, on the sidelines of UN General Assembly, with UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura ahead of the UN Security Council meeting on the issue in October.

The meeting, attended by Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, was an opportunity to highlight the international momentum in support for the Kingdom’s sovereignty over its Sahara and the growing backing by many countries to the Morocco-proposed Autonomy Initiative.

A press release issued by Morocco’s Permanent Mission to the UN said the Moroccan delegation reiterated to Mr. De Mistura the four fundamentals of the Kingdom’s position on the Moroccan Sahara, as defined by King Mohammed VI.

The first of these fundamentals is the support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy for a realistic, pragmatic, lasting political solution based on compromise.

The second says the Autonomy, under Moroccan sovereignty, is the ONE and ONLY solution to this regional dispute; while the third insists on the round-table talks with the participation of all parties, including Algeria, as the sole framework for this process, in accordance with Security Council Resolution 2703 of October 30, 2023.

Morocco also demands the scrupulous respect of the ceasefire by the other parties as a prerequisite for the continuation of the political process.

At the UN General Assembly, Head of Moroccan Govt. Aziz Akhannouch has underlined Morocco’s constant position on the Sahara issue, saying the growing international support for Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara and for the autonomy initiative sends a clear message to the other parties to the conflict and to the UN that time has come to move towards a political solution on this basis, through the round table process and in accordance with Security Council resolutions.