Sahara Issue: Guatemala Reaffirms Support for Morocco’s Territorial Integrity, Autonomy Initiative

Guatemala on Monday reaffirmed, in New York, its support for the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Morocco, as well as for the autonomy initiative as a definitive solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. Speaking before the 4th Committee of the UN General Assembly, the Deputy Permanent Representative of Guatemala to the UN, María José Castillo, said that her country “considers that the autonomy initiative presented by Morocco in 2007 constitutes a realistic, credible and serious basis to achieve a negotiated solution between the parties, while respecting the territorial integrity and national sovereignty of Morocco”. She also reiterated Guatemala’s support for the efforts undertaken by the Kingdom to achieve a peaceful and lasting political solution to this regional conflict. The diplomat, who welcomed the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy for the Moroccan Sahara in favor of a realistic, pragmatic, lasting political solution based on compromise, underscored the importance of resuming the round table process in the same format and with the same four participants, namely Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the “polisario”. She stressed that the resolution of this artificial conflict is necessary for the stability, security and integration of the Maghreb region.