Bulgarian Magazine Highlights Importance of Morocco’s Green March

The Green March, whose 47th anniversary the Kingdom of Morocco commemorates on November 6, 2022, is a landmark event in the process of completing the Kingdom’s territorial integrity, Bulgarian Magazine “HiLife” writes on Sunday. “This genius initiative is a scenario whose mastermind is the late King Hassan II, who worked on its every detail with a recognized concern for perfection, the goal being to reclaim part of the occupied Moroccan territories, thus completing the territorial unity of Morocco,” it says. The Green March, which impressed everyone with its meticulous organization and peaceful character, was an idea that germinated in the mind of the late King Hassan II upon Morocco’s accession to independence on March 2, 1956, notes the publication on its website, adding that the Green March took place just after the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague confirmed the existence of legal ties and allegiance between the Sultans of Morocco and the Saharawi tribes.  This confirmation was in response to a request made by Morocco on December 13, 1974, that the General Assembly of the United Nations refer to the ICJ a request for an advisory opinion on the legal aspect of the situation of the Sahara during its occupation by Spain.  According to the Magazine, the Green March has allowed, in the most beautiful way, the liberation of the Moroccan Sahara from the colonial yoke and the completion of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom. Similarly, this historic moment, particularly moving for all Moroccans, illustrates in many ways the strong cohesion between the Throne and the Moroccan people. In short, this ingenious idea of the late King Hassan II allowed Morocco to peacefully re-establish its sovereignty over its southern territory, stresses HiLife, adding that “once this victorious Liberation March had achieved its objective, the Kingdom of Morocco placed the development of this integral part of its national territory at the top of its list of concerns”, providing it with the basic infrastructure necessary to break its isolation and guarantee the local population, freshly liberated from the Spanish colonial yoke, the conditions of prosperity, security and tranquility. Moreover, this March continues today under the reign of HM King Mohammed VI, who has provided the southern provinces with a new development model, to promote effective access of citizens to essential services and to fight against precariousness, the magazine observes. Attracted by the ambitions of this Plan and the attractive prospects offered by the Southern Moroccan provinces, several countries have joined the actions of socio-economic promotion undertaken and have initiated major investments. Some have even opened consular offices in these provinces in recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over its Sahara, on the one hand, and in view of a promoting South-South and North-South economic cooperation from this region dedicated to becoming a continental hub, it adds. Also, Morocco has submitted to the Secretariat General of the United Nations in April 2007, a proposal to provide the Sahara region, formerly under Spanish colonization, with a broad autonomy, and this in accordance with the calls of the international community and in order to find a political solution to the regional dispute around the Moroccan Sahara and to close this file definitively, allowing this region to see the future under better auspices. “This initiative, inspired by a spirit of openness and in accordance with the provisions of the United Nations Charter, aims to create the conditions for a process of dialogue and negotiation leading to a mutually acceptable political solution”, notes the publication. Since its launch, this initiative has received broad support from the international community. Indeed, more than 90 United Nations member states have expressed strong support for the Moroccan initiative as the only realistic, credible and sustainable solution to this regional dispute.  For HiLife, this position is “in line with that of the United Security Security Council, which, in its 18 resolutions since 2007, has enshrined the Moroccan autonomy initiative as the serious and credible solution to this artificial conflict.”  The last resolution “2654”, adopted on October 27, 2022, “came at the right time to confirm the international support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal, including among important and influential countries”, the publication notes, adding that the resolution confirms the autonomy Plan as “the only realistic solution” to the dispute over Moroccan Sahara. With regard to Europe, HiLife recalls that 11 European countries, including 10 from the European Union, have recently expressed their support for the territorial integrity of the Kingdom, adding that the United States of America reaffirmed its support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative in the Proclamation of Recognition of the Sovereignty of Morocco over its Sahara, formalized by the President of the United States on December 4, 2020.