The ministry listed a litany of achievements made in 2019 as part of Morocco’s efforts to defend its territorial Integrity.
Rabat – Morocco’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued a report of its Western Sahara-related activities in 2019, revealing that the year was marked by notable diplomatic gains and historic achievements with regards to defending its territorial integrity.
The report listed all activities of the ministry to defend the “national cause” and to reinforce Morocco’s achievements over the past two decades.
According to the ministry, the Western Sahara issue is one of “top the Moroccan diplomacy’s priorities, in accordance with the insightful vision of King Mohammed VI.”
Success in UN-led process in Western Sahara
The ministry emphasized that Morocco’s diplomacy managed to accomplish “very important results” through successive UN Security Council resolutions this year.
One notably pro-Moroccan momentum in the ongoing UN-led political process was Resolution 2468 of April 2019.
The document called for “compromise” and “pragmatism” during the political process. Both the language and the recommendations appeared to embrace Morocco’s 2007 Autonomy Plan. In October, another UN document, ’Resolution upheld the exclusivity of the UN political process on different levels.
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With both resolutions emphasizing the importance of the UN-led political process to reach a “realistic, pragmatic, and durable political solution based on compromise,” the ministry suggested that 2019 can be described as the year when the UN-led process decisively buried talks if referendum or self-autonomy.
One of the important aspects of recent developments, according to the ministry, is the emphasis that all parties should be engaged in a good faith to contribute to the political process and ensure its success.
The fact thatthe resolutions also urged “Algeria and the Polisario to show realism and a spirit of compromise, away from transcendent and unworkable solutions,” the statement argued, was a notable gain for Morocco.
In its report, the ministry also recalled the adoption of Resolution 2494 in October 2019,which extended the mandate of peacekeeping operation in Western Sahara, also known as MINURSO for a period of one year.
The ministry said the one-year extension of the peacekeeping mandate“is a clear signal of its attachment to guaranteeing the smooth running of the political process, taking into account the regional context and the need to work to guarantee a total and serious commitment, for all the parties concerned by the Round-Table process.”
The report, quoted by Maghreb Arab Press (MAP), was effusive about how the resolution preserved Morocco’s “achievements, reiterating once again the preeminence of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, and welcoming [Morocco’s] serious and credible efforts” to move the political process forward.
The resolution also listed Polisario’s violations in buffer zone, calling on to refrain from “ any provocative act that would hinder the UN process.”
The ministry also spoke about the decision of some countries to withdraw recognition of the self-proclaimed SADR, including Malawi, Zambia, El Salvador and Barbados.
“The Moroccan diplomacy has also foiled the maneuvers of enemies of territorial integrity, in a number of international organizations, whether linked to the presence of separatist elements or to the signing of draft agreements and memoranda of understanding to allow their participation,” the report added.
The ministry also spoke about its efforts to shed light on the human rights violations committed in the Tindouf camps, urging the international community to intervene.
Defending Morocco’s interests in AU
The report reiterated that Moroccan diplomats will continue to defend “the supreme interests of Morocco and promoting its legitimacy on the question of the Moroccan Sahara within the African Union. These efforts have produced a number of positive results.”
The ministry said this year was also marked by the AU’s decision to refrainfrom condoning or initiating hostile actions against Morocco’s territorial integrity.
“The African Union summits of February and July 2019 did not adopt any decision on the national question,” the report emphasized.
The ministry also recalled that the AU expressed full support for the UN-led political process.
Also noted in the report was the ministry’s commitment to continue to promote the new development model for the southern provinces of Morocco.
The ministry concluded the report with the milestone achievements after several countries vowed to open general consulates in Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara.
Comoros officially opened its general consulate on December 18.
Republic of the Gambia also promised to open a Consulate in the city of Dakhla in the coming months.
The ministry also emphasized the importance of the “adoption of the legal framework relating to the maritime borders of Morocco and its sovereignty over its maritime domain by delimiting the sea borders including the Moroccan Sahara.”
The ministry considers the move as a confirmation of “the Moroccan identity of the Sahara pursuant to the law.”
