Sahara: Morocco’s Ambassador in Geneva Slams Algeria’s Relentless, Biased Maneuvers

Morocco’s Ambassador, Permanent Representative in Geneva, Omar Zniber, denounced Algeria’s relentless and biased maneuvers regarding the Moroccan Sahara, on the occasion of the 51st session of the Human Rights Council (HRC). In a statement of the Kingdom before the HRC, the diplomat deplored the obstinacy of the representative of the Algerian regime in seeking to use and exploit the proceedings of the Council, in an unproductive and sterile manner, to bring up the issue of Morocco’s territorial integrity with no respect for the agenda and the serenity of the discussions. The Algerian representative mandates an isolated group to give the impression that the thesis of his null, void, and completely disconnected from reality regime has some echo, the ambassador pointed out. If the Algerian delegation were indeed committed to the respect of human rights, it would rather have considered the many and multifaceted questions addressed to the Algerian government due to the massive violations taking place in the country, which target opponents, judges, journalists, representatives of civil society, and more generally the whole of Algerian society, he noted. Mr. Zniber added that the Algerian delegate should also inquire about the unparalleled violations that occur in the countries that sign with him the hostile declaration towards Morocco and make, once more, false accusations. The ambassador drew the attention of the members of the Council to the fact that, most often, the contributions of Algeria’s delegates to the proceedings of the Council are limited almost exclusively to unsuccessful attempts to attack Morocco, the Council being fully aware of the biased and self-serving nature of such maneuvers. At the other end of the spectrum, Morocco is a country of dialogue that prefers concord, negotiation, and compromise that is always looking into the future. The Kingdom expressed itself masterfully, on July 30, through the speech of HM King Mohammed VI on the occasion of Throne Day. In this speech, the Sovereign renewed the invitation extended to Algeria to reach a realistic compromise and confirmed at the same time that Morocco never had and will never have any aggressive intent towards the Algerian neighbors, the diplomat stated. Unfortunately, the behavior of the Algerian regime goes in the opposite direction as it wishes to maintain tension in the Maghreb region and acts as a dividing factor. This is evidenced by the steps, initiatives and declarations – most often thoughtless and senseless – which stem only from hostility, or even an absurd hatred, and which is nowadays noticed in all international fora, including the United Nations, Mr. Zniber deplored.   The United Nations take note of the broad international support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and its autonomy initiative, which is democratic in nature and aims to put an end to the artificial dispute over the Sahara, he said. The United Nations are well aware that nearly 90% of its member states neither endorse nor adhere to the positions of the Algerian regime, while at the same time an increasing number of states have consular representations in the southern provinces, which live in peace exercise freedoms, and even tolerate the so-called activists who are linked to separatist militias but perfectly isolated from the overwhelming majority of the population of the Sahara, who does not recognize the legitimacy of the theses of the Algerian regime and of the militias that depend on it, he concluded.