Rabat – A Moroccan delegation led by the Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN, Omar Hilale, is taking part in the regional seminar of the C-24 for the Caribbean, held in Dominica from August 25 to 27.
The C-24 refers to the UN’s “Special Committee on Decolonization” which was established by the UN in 1961 to focus on the issue of decolonization.
This seminar is an opportunity for the Moroccan delegation to inform the members of the Committee and other participants of the latest developments on the Western Sahara issue, both locally and on the international and UN level.
The two elected officials of the Western Sahara region, namely Vice President of the Dakhla-Oued Eddahab Region Ghalla Bahiya and M’hamed Abba, Vice President of the Laayoune-Sakia El Hamra Region were invited to take part in this seminar, as it has been the case since 2018.
This UN meeting is held in a period marked by resounding diplomatic successes Morocco achieved on the Western Sahara dossier.
These include the recognition by the United States of the sovereignty of Morocco over its southern provinces, as well as the opening of 24 consulates general in Laayoune and Dakhla.
During the conference, Saint Lucia reiterated before the UN’s C-24 its “full support” to the Moroccan autonomy plan, saying it is “the only serious and realistic solution” to the regional dispute over the Western Sahara.
Speaking at a regional seminar of the C-24 held in Saint John, Dominica, the representative of St. Lucia welcomed the progress made on the political front through the Geneva roundtables with the participation of Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the Polisario Front.
“Saint Lucia supports this roundtable process and joins the Security Council in commending the determination of the four participants to remain committed throughout this process, in a spirit of realism and compromise, to ensure a successful outcome,” she said.
“I would also like to commend Morocco’s efforts to develop the Sahara, to improve the standard of living of its inhabitants and to allow them to benefit from the region’s resources, as well as the widely accessible vaccination campaign against COVID-19,” added the Lucian delegate to this UN seminar.
In addition to Saint Lucia’s statement, Cote d’Ivoire also reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan initiative of broad autonomy before the C-24.
Ambassador Gbolie Desire Wulfran Ipo, Deputy Permanent Representative of Cote d’Ivoire to the UN said that his country firmly supports Morocco’s autonomy plan, which he said aims to achieve a “negotiated and mutually acceptable political solution, based on realism” to the dispute.
“My country adheres to this compromise solution which is in accordance with international law, the resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly of the United Nations,” said the ambassador on August 26.
The Moroccan delegation is aiming to clarify the central role of Algeria in the conflict, after the latter’s continuous refusal to take part in dialogue with Morocco regarding the Western Sahara.
Algeria’s responsibility in the genesis and continuity of the conflict is well recorded, and the hostile actions of the neighboring republic against the territorial integrity of Morocco have repeatedly been broadcast.
Algeria’s recent decision to sever diplomatic ties with Morocco, is considered by some observers as a tactic aimed at vilifying the kingdom and prolonging the resolution of the decades-long conflict between the North African neighbors.
