Spanish Academic Highlights Growing International Support for Morocco’s Sovereignty over Sahara

The Speech delivered by HM King Mohammed VI at the opening of the Parliament highlighted the unambiguous support from several influential countries for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara, said Spanish Academic and expert in Maghreb affairs, Rafael Esparza Machín. “More than 115 countries have already clearly expressed their support for the Autonomy Initiative,” the expert told MAP, recalling that the United States’ position in support of Morocco’s sovereignty over its Sahara further bolsters this momentum, with the rallying of world powers, notably France, Germany and Spain.  For the former socialist leader and professor at the University of Las Palmas in Gran Canaria, “the Sahara is Moroccan through history, legality and the will of its people.” “It is also Moroccan in the present, notably through international support,” he said, recalling the opening of more than 30 consulates in the cities of Laayoune and Dakhla.  The Saharawi populations live in the Moroccan Sahara, actively participating in the democratic life and development of the region and the country, he noted.  The researcher further explained that the support expressed by many influential states for Morocco’s sovereignty over the Sahara reinforces the pre-eminence of the Moroccan autonomy plan, now seen as the only way to put an end to this artificial conflict created around Morocco’s territorial integrity.  This support, he concluded, also reflects a downright rejection of separatist aspirations, which threaten the security and stability of the region.