New York – Following the official announcement made by Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström on Friday that Sweden has no intention to recognize “Western Sahara” as a State, Moroccans all over the world have found “comfort” in the Scandinavian country’s position.
“The government does not intend to recognize the Western Sahara and its position is consistent with the assessment of previous governments in this regard,” the Minister said, according to MAP.
Moroccan political analyst and member of the Party of Progress and Socialism (PPS) M’hammed Grine discussed how the position adopted by the Swedish government not to recognize the Polisario-led state supports Morocco’s plan for a resolution to the conflict.
“The announcement of the Swedish Government’s rejection of the idea of recognizing the independence of the Sahara that was under discussion for several months comforts us in Morocco, because it ends the trend in some Swedish political circles to push the country to support an openly hostile position against Morocco,” Grine emphasized in a statement to Morocco World News.
“This situation was the source of a great crisis between Morocco and Sweden,” the Moroccan politician said, adding “we can only welcome this happy outcome because we want Morocco and Sweden to have good relations reflecting fruitful cooperation and friendship between our peoples.”
According to Minister Wallström, “the criteria required under international law to recognize Western Sahara [as a state] are not fulfilled.” Grine said he sees this as a “wise decision, because a serious country such as Sweden should not be embarking on the support of a separatist adventure doomed to failure,” he said.
By virtue of the Treaty of Algeciras of April 7, 1906, all Western powers, including Sweden, signed and committed to preserving Moroccan territorial integrity when the so-called Western Sahara was part of Morocco.
“Sweden did not embrace a separatist utopia, supported by Algerian hegemonic temptation completely outdated in a precarious regional geostrategic context carrying enormous risks,” Grine stressed.
The PPS member pointed out that the lack of a resolution to this conflict creates a bigger threat in a “tense international and regional environment” for it poses higher “risks of destabilization in a region that is already a favorite for various destabilizing activities such as terrorism, hostage-taking and trafficking of all kinds, weapons, drugs, illegal immigration, smuggling, etc.”
Sweden’s decision should be seen as a step toward the implementation of Morocco’s autonomy plan for the Sahara in order to reach a mutually acceptable political solution.
“There is a deep diplomatic trend that unites more and more serious players in the international scene around the Moroccan proposal which is considered a serious and credible basis to reach a political solution to the conflict,” politician Grine said.
Proponents of the Polisario separatist movement have tried their best to spread their ideology throughout African and European countries.
“The actions of the opponents of Morocco’s territorial integrity have multiplied in recent times and are becoming a sort of ‘diplomatic guerrilla warfare,’ which looks more like a rearguard battle,” Grine noted.
The Polisario and its supporters have tried to undermine Morocco in Africa but have turned out to be unsuccessful, according to the Moroccan politician who described Morocco’s success as a “major player in diplomacy, commerce, trade, and economy.”
Grine went on to add that this time the separatists have targeted the European Union, especially the Scandinavian countries, which are unfamiliar with what is happening in Morocco,” to raise their case for recognition of the self-proclaimed SADR.
According to Grine, these Northern European countries are supposedly easier prey due to “some political forces that continue to see things through stereotyped ideological blinders and filters.”
“When approaching the end of the separatist myth, the opponents of the territorial unit and their base will increase their maneuvers, to keep us constant, especially vigilant and proactive,” Grine told Morocco World News.
