Before members of the UN Committee on 24 (C24), Senegal reaffirmed its support for an autonomy plan as an “appropriate framework” to resolve the territorial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
Speaking at the C24 Regional Forum for the Pacific Region held in Bali from 24 to 26 May, Senegal’s representative said the autonomy initiative offered by Morocco in 2007 qualified as serious and credible under international law, the United Nations Charter and resolutions of the General Assembly and Security Council.
In this context, the UN for the Sahara The diplomat welcomed efforts to restart the political process by SG Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura, resulting in visits to stakeholders in January, July and September 2022 and informally. A bilateral meeting with these parties was held in New York last March.
He reiterated his country’s support for a final, just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solution through a process conducted under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations, based on successive Security Council resolutions since 2007. The same format, the constructive momentum created by the two round tables in Geneva, demonstrates realism and a spirit of compromise to ensure the successful outcome of the political process initiated by the United Nations.
He also praised Morocco’s “significant” progress in promoting human rights and democracy, particularly in the Sahara, and the “considerable” efforts made for the region’s economic and social development. . “These efforts have confirmed the desire of the Kingdom of Morocco to definitively resolve this dispute,” he said, adding that in support of this policy, on April 5, 2021, Senegal opened its consulate in Dakla.
The representative of Senegal, 28 governments of African, Arab, Latin American and Asian countries have already opened embassies in the Moroccan Sahara, with the aim of contributing to strengthening economic and social opportunities in the region.
He welcomed the participation of representatives of the Moroccan Sahara elected during the Moroccan elections of September 08, 2021 in the important meetings and discussions of the Geneva Round Tables, the C24 sessions and the regional seminars of this UN group. This is a “positive signal” that strengthens Senegal’s confidence in the successful outcome of the regional conflict.
Furthermore, the Senegalese diplomat said his country emphasizes the importance of respecting the 1991 ceasefire for the stability of the region and in this sense welcomes Morocco’s continued cooperation with MINURSO and respect for the ceasefire. Saint Lucia, before members of the 24-member group, reiterated its support for the autonomy plan put forward by Morocco to definitively end the territorial conflict over the Moroccan Sahara.
“We support the Moroccan autonomy initiative, which has been described as serious and credible by the Security Council in its successive resolutions since 2007,” the representative of Saint Lucia underlined. He noted that this attempt to find a compromise solution to the regional problem is in accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter and the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly.
The diplomat reaffirmed his country’s support for the Round Table process in Geneva with the participation of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and the “Polisario”, expressing the desire to make progress through this political process.
Expressing his country’s support for the UN Secretary-General’s efforts to facilitate the current political process, as well as his Special Envoy for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, the Saint Lucian diplomat reiterated his support for a “just and mutually acceptable country. “Morocco called for a political solution to the Sahara problem, through dialogue between all parties and In accordance with relevant Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2654.
The representative of Saint Lucia, in this regard, noted Morocco’s commitment to resolving this territorial dispute and the Kingdom’s achievements in the field of human rights, which were welcomed by Council resolutions. Security, including Resolution 2654.
