Sahara Issue: Morocco Urges Algeria to Resume Round-Table Process

In response to the statement made Monday at the UN General Assembly by Algeria’s Foreign Minister Ramtane Lamamra, in which he called on the UN and the SG’s Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara to resume the UN process, the Moroccan delegation called on Algeria to resume the round-table process. “The Kingdom of Morocco launches, in turn, an appeal to Algeria to resume its place around the round tables as it has already done during the two previous meetings,” said the Moroccan delegation in its response. The Moroccan delegation also noted that Algeria is instrumentalizing, once again, the podium of the UN General Assembly to convey untruths on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, stressing that as confirmed by historical, political and legal facts, the issue of the Moroccan Sahara is that of recovery of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom and not decolonization. “Morocco recovered its Sahara, in 1975, through negotiation, in a peaceful manner, and in accordance with the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council of the United Nations,” the Moroccan delegation recalled. The Kingdom has irrevocably recovered its sovereignty over its southern provinces through the signing of the Madrid Agreement, on November 14, 1975, which was registered with the UN Secretary General, on November 18, 1975, and endorsed by the General Assembly in its Resolution 3458B, of 10 December 1975. The Moroccan delegation pointed out that the question of the Moroccan Sahara is on the agenda of the Security Council under Chapter VI of the UN Charter, on the peaceful settlement of disputes, as a regional dispute, and not as a decolonization issue, reaffirming loud and clear that “the Sahara has always been Moroccan. It is Moroccan and it will remain so forever.” “The Moroccan Sahara is experiencing an unparalleled development dynamic thanks to the New Development Model launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI, may God assist him,” said the Moroccan delegation in its right of reply, adding that the population of the Moroccan Sahara is living in peace and stability, enjoying its civil, political, economic and socio-cultural rights. The delegation also pointed out that the Security Council, which “is the only body responsible for considering the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, has established once and for all, the parameters of the political solution that should preside over the final settlement of this regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.” These parameters are clearly defined in the 18 consecutive resolutions of the Security Council since 2007, including Resolution 2602, adopted on October 29, 2021, stressed the Moroccan delegation, adding that these parameters include – the pre-eminence of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, the only serious and credible solution to this regional dispute, within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco, – the solution of this dispute can only be political, realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise. This is the very embodiment of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, – The roundtable process is the only framework set up by the Security Council to pursue the political process. “Round-table discussions are clearly affirmed and reaffirmed in all Security Council resolutions, and this since their establishment in 2018, by the former Personal Envoy, President Horst Köhler” and – the Security Council resolutions define the four participants in the round-table process, which are Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and “polisario”. “This round-table process should continue with the same participants and the same format until its completion in accordance with Resolution 2602,” said the Moroccan delegation, adding that “the puppet entity mentioned in the intervention of the Algerian delegation on Monday, is not recognized by the United Nations, and is not part of this process.” “The round-table process is an emanation of the Security Council, and therefore, can not be accommodated, neither on its format nor on its participants, depending on the circumstances and at the whim of certain parties,” it stressed, adding that Morocco would like to recall that the political process is held under the exclusive auspices of the UN Secretary-General and the facilitation of his Personal Envoy and this, in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council.