EU-Morocco friendship group at EP “supports” Morocco’s decision to withdraw confidence in Ross

Brussels, June 7, 2012 (MAP)

The EU-Morocco Friendship Group at the European Parliament (EP) “supports” the Kingdom’s decision to withdraw confidence in the personal envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, Christopher Ross, the Group’s president Gilles Pargneaux said on Wednesday in Brussels.

“We support Morocco’s legitimate position with regard to Christopher Ross to show that indeed there was a distrust” given the excesses noted in his latest report on the Sahara,” Mr. Pargneaux said at a meeting of the speaker of Morocco’s House of Representatives, Karim Ghellab, withe the Friendship Group.

Mr. Pargneaux also said that the Group is confident that “the Moroccan autonomy plan for the Sahara is the best solution to this conflict, because it will not only ensure security in the Sahara, but throughout the Sahel region, which is currently experiencing many problems.”

In addition, the Moroccan proposal to grant autonomy to the Sahara is likely to promote economic development in the Kingdom’s southern provinces thanks to both the efforts made by Morocco and the partnership between the Kingdom and the EU, the Eurodeputy said.

In this connection, Mr. Pargneaux stressed the need to continue to defend the Moroccan autonomy plan within the European Parliament because, he explained, “the Moroccan position is just, not only for reasons related to human rights, but also in view of considerations related to the economic and social development that will benefit all the residents of the southern provinces of the Kingdom.”