Sahara: Antigua and Barbuda Reiterates Support for Autonomy Plan, Calls for Resuming Roundtable Process

Antigua and Barbuda reiterated, before the UN C24 Committee in New York, its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan, deeming it the “compromise solution” to solve the regional dispute over the Sahara. “My delegation supports the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, considered as serious and credible by the Security Council, in its successive resolutions since 2007. This Initiative is the compromise solution to this regional dispute and is in conformity with international law, the UN Charter, and Security Council and General Assembly resolutions”, said Antigua and Barbuda’s representative during the C24 annual meeting. He also voiced his country’s support to the political process held under the exclusive auspices of the UN Secretary-General, calling on Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, and the “polisario” to continue to actively participate, in good faith, in the roundtable process. “This is the only peaceful way to ensure a successful outcome”, he underlined. The speaker also highlighted Morocco’s full respect for the cease-fire in the Moroccan Sahara and its full and continued cooperation with MINURSO, calling upon the other parties to return to the ceasefire as the security and stability of the entire region are at stake and to cease all obstructions to the freedom of Movement to MINURSO. He further welcomed the socio-economic development in the Moroccan Sahara thanks to the investments and projects implemented within the framework of the New Development Model for the Moroccan Sahara, launched by Morocco in 2015, which has greatly contributed to the empowerment of the populations and the improvement of the Human Development Indexes in the region.