Rabat – A second roundtable on the Western Sahara conflict might smooth the regional tension between the parties involved in the dispute.
But the positive circumstance of the talks between the parties should not make the UN forget the principles imposed by the Moroccan government to end the issue.
Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN Omar Hilale told the press on Tuesday following the Security Council meeting on Western Sahara that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan is the ideal solution to end the conflict.
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According to Hilale, the Moroccan initiative introduced to the UN in 2007 is the “top” and the “bottom.”
“That is everything, and within the sovereignty of Morocco,” Hilale added.
Hilale added that Morocco is ready to negotiate but only within the framework of its proposal.
“We are ready to negotiate it and give it the largest operative power for the autonomy. Outside autonomy, nothing. We are not ready to negotiate anything.”
Last week, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita said that the autonomy plan is an initiative that seeks to integrate Sahrawis in development plans and to preserve the Moroccan Sahrawi heritage.
The Moroccan government also mentioned the international community’s acknowledgement that the autonomy plan is a credible and realistic political solution that could end the conflict peacefully.
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Several UN ambassadors reiterated their support for the UN during the Security Council meeting, which took place in the presence of Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General Horst Kohler.
During the meeting, Kohler briefed the council on developments in the conflict, emphasizing that he will meet members of the parties involved in the conflict in February to prepare another roundtable in March.
The date of the March roundtable has not yet been set.
Several ambassadors in the Security Council talked about the meeting, reiterating their support for the UN-led political process.
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German Ambassador to the UN Christoph Heusgen said that Kohler remains “very committed” to resolving the conflict. He also supported a “realistic, practical and a sustainable solution.”
French Ambassador to the UN Francois Delattre told the press that the “context, in [Kohler’s] own words, remains favorable for the resumption of talks.”
Delattre also commended Kohler’s efforts, emphasizing that the envoy has a vision “and the confidence of all the delegations around the table, so we have a good environment.”
