Sahara: Sierra Leone Reiterates Support for Autonomy Plan, Deeming it ‘Compromise Solution’

Sierra Leone reaffirmed, in New York, its support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, deeming it “the compromise solution” to definitively settle the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. “My delegation supports the Moroccan autonomy initiative which the Security Council describes as serious and credible in its successive resolutions since 2007,” said Monday the representative of Sierra Leone before the members of the Fourth Committee of the UN General Assembly. In accordance with international law, the UN Charter and the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly, this initiative is the compromise solution to this regional dispute, she pointed out. The diplomat reiterated her country’s call for the resumption of the roundtable process with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the “polisario”, in accordance with Security Council resolution 2654, expressing support for a just and mutually acceptable political solution between the parties through dialogue and in line with the relevant Security Council resolutions. Reaffirming her country’s support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to facilitate the ongoing political process, the representative of Sierra Leone welcomed the informal bilateral consultations that the personal envoy held last March with Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the “Polisario”, as well as his recent visit to Morocco, Algeria and Mauritania.