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The Republic of Liberia has joined a growing list of countries that expressed their support for Morocco’s recent operation in Guerguerat, near the Moroccan-Mauritanian border.
Morocco launched the operation on November 13 to lift a three-week blockade by the separatist Polisario Front and to restore the flow of civil and commercial traffic between Morocco and Mauritania.
In a statement issued by its Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday, November 20, Liberia expressed concern about Polisario’s recent hostile acts in Morocco’s southern provinces.
The West African country also voiced its support for Morocco’s commitment to restore and preserve the free movement of people, goods, and services through the Guerguerat crossing point.
“The Government of the Republic of Liberia maintains its steadfast position in support of the territorial integrity and sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco,” the statement said.
Support of Morocco’s peace efforts
Liberia called on the Polisario Front to respect the 1991 ceasefire agreement with Morocco. The separatist group had breached the truce on November 13 when its armed members attempted to attack the Moroccan army.
Monrovia also reiterated its support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the only solution that aligns with the UN’s position in search of a political and diplomatic solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
The Autonomy Plan, which Morocco submitted to the UN in April 2007, suggests turning Western Sahara into a semi-autonomous region under Moroccan sovereignty. Local population would independently manage political, economic, and social development, while a central Moroccan government would handle issues of national interest, such as defense and diplomacy.
Liberia recognized Morocco’s efforts to achieve a peaceful and lasting solution to the dispute with the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.
The West African country also urged the UN Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, to speed up the process of appointing a new Personal Envoy in Western Sahara. The position has been vacant since the resignation of Horst Kohler in May 2019 for health reasons.
The appointment of a Personal Envoy in the region would “give impetus to the peace process in accordance with the resolutions of the Security Council,” the statement concluded.
Read also: Liberia Officially Opens Consulate in Morocco’s Dakhla
Liberia is a vocal supporter of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over Western Sahara. In March, the West African country opened a consulate general in Dakhla, southern Morocco.
More recently, on November 2, the Liberian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Dee-Maxwell Saah Kemayah, Sr, visited Rabat and signed three cooperation agreements with his Moroccan counterpart, Nasser Bourita.
The agreements touched on the fields of higher education and scientific research, agriculture, and health.
