Sahara: Saint Lucia Backs Autonomy Plan, Calls for Resumption of Round Table Meetings

Saint Lucia expressed, in New York, its support to the autonomy plan presented by Morocco to resolve the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. “We support the Moroccan autonomy initiative, described as serious and credible by the Security Council in its successive resolutions since 2007,” said the representative of Saint Lucia before the 4th Committee of the UN General Assembly, adding that this plan is the way forward in resolving this dispute. He also reaffirmed the support of his country to the roundtable process that took place in Geneva with the participation of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and the “polisario”, expressing the hope that progress will be made through this political process. Welcoming the efforts of the UN Secretary General to facilitate the political process, as well as his Personal Envoy for the Sahara, the diplomat reiterated his country’s support for a “just and mutually acceptable” political solution to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara, through dialogue between all parties and in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions. In this sense, the representative of Saint Lucia highlighted the commitment of Morocco to resolve this regional dispute, as well as its mobilization in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic in the southern provinces.