C24/Sahara: Republic of Guinea Expresses Support for Autonomy Plan

The Republic of Guinea has reaffirmed, in New York, its support to the autonomy plan proposed by Morocco to resolve the regional dispute over the Sahara. Speaking at the annual meeting of the Committee of 24 (C24) of the UN, the first counselor in charge of social, humanitarian and cultural affairs at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Guinea to the UN, stressed that his country recognizes and welcomes the good faith and sense of political responsibility of the Moroccan government which spares no effort to respect its commitments, in accordance with international law and Security Council resolutions. He also welcomed the commendable efforts of the UN Secretary General, which give new impetus to the peace and security processes initiated by his predecessors in Africa in general, and in the Sahara region in particular. In this context, the Republic of Guinea welcomes the periodic organization of round tables with the participation of all stakeholders, namely Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania and the “polisario”, and this in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council, in particular resolution 2602, adopted on 29 October 2021. “In this process, which follows the political process that should be encouraged, the actors have to show realism and flexibility in order to reach a pragmatic and sustainable political solution with a more acceptable compromise, as recommended by the 18 resolutions adopted by the Security Council on this matter since 2007,” said the Guinean diplomat. He also expressed the wish to see the actions of the personal envoy of the UN SG for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, aligned with those of his predecessor, Horst Kohler, with the resumption of the roundtable process following the same format and inviting the same parties. The diplomat also highlighted the institutional and economic reforms aimed at promoting human rights and development in the southern provinces including Laayoune and Dakhla, while congratulating Morocco for the success of legislative, communal and regional throughout its national territory including the Sahara, on September 8, 2021.