C-24/Sahara: Saudi Arabia Reiterates Support for Morocco’s Autonomy Initiative, Territorial Integrity

Saudi Arabia reaffirmed, in New York, its support for the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco to definitively resolve the regional dispute over the Sahara within the framework of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. “We renew our support for the autonomy initiative in the Moroccan Sahara within the framework of Morocco’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity”, the representative of Saudi Arabia, Hassan Mohammed Alamri, told the annual UN Committee of 24 (C-24). He underlined that the Moroccan plan is a compromise solution that is consistent with international law, the UN Charter and UN Security Council and General Assembly resolutions, noting that the Moroccan initiative has been welcomed by the Security Council in its resolutions adopted since 2007. The diplomat also expressed his country’s support for Morocco’s efforts to find a realistic political solution to the Moroccan Sahara issue on the basis of compromise and the relevant Security Council resolutions and under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General. In this regard, he commended the efforts made by the UNSG Personal Envoy to the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, in a bid to relaunch the political process under the aegis of the Secretary-General, expressing the wish to see these consultations between the parties concerned to continue. The diplomat also stressed the importance for the parties concerned to display wisdom, realism and a spirit of compromise in order to reach a political solution to this dispute and contribute to achieving peace and stability in the region.