Sahara/C24: Guinea Backs Autonomy initiative

The Republic of Guinea expressed before the C24 committee its support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative, a compromise solution for the regional dispute over the Sahara. This initiative is in line with the principles and rules of international law, the UN Charter and the relevant UN resolutions, to find a favorable outcome to this regional dispute which has lasted far too long, said Guinea’s permanent representative to the UN, Paul Goa Zoumanigui, during the C24 annual meeting. He also called for the resumption of the round table process, with the same format and the participation of Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and the “polisario”, in accordance with the relevant Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2654 of October 27, 2022. The diplomat urged the parties involved to show realism and a spirit of compromise throughout the political process, so that the talks can achieve conclusive results. He also praised the efforts of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, notably his two visits to Rabat, the Tindouf camps, Algiers and Nouakchott, in January, July and September 2022, as well as the informal bilateral consultations he held last March in New York with Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the “polisario”. Mr Zoumanigui also praised his country’s decision to open a Consulate General in Dakhla, “not only to strengthen its relations of friendship and cooperation with the Kingdom of Morocco, but also to mark a better presence in the region, interact with the Guinean community, better observe the reality in the region and better contribute to the peace process.” The diplomat also welcomed the holding of general, legislative, communal and regional elections in Morocco, including in the Sahara, in 2021, and the turnout at these polls, which, he said, were held in a democratic, transparent, free and credible atmosphere. He also praised Morocco’s respect for the ceasefire in the Sahara and its “perceptible” cooperation with MINURSO. The ambassador of the Republic of Guinea also referred to the “worrying” humanitarian situation in the Tindouf camps, underlining the need to carry out a population census, in accordance with international humanitarian law.