Morocco Welcomes Candidacy of de Mistura as Western Sahara Special Envoy

Meknes – On Tuesday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres initiated negotiations with Security Council members for the appointment of Italian-Swedish UN official, Staffan de Mistura, as his personal envoy to Western Sahara.

De Mistura’s appointment is set to be announced in the coming days, following the approval of the Security Council’s members.

Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale expressed Morocco’s commitment to collaborate in the negotiations over Western Sahara.

Once appointed, the Moroccan diplomat told Moroccan state media, “de Mistura can rely on Morocco’s unfailing cooperation and support in the implementation of his mediation for the settlement of this regional dispute.” According to Hilale, the resolutions are in accordance with several post-2007 Security Council resolutions, “in particular resolutions 2440, 2468, 2494, and 2548, which established the Round Table process with its four participants and its modalities.”

The appointment of de Mistura, Hilale said, was not taken without consultation with Morocco. Hilale confirmed that Morocco had “already communicated its agreement to Antonio Guterres.”

Morocco’s agreement results from its confidence and its support for the UN Secretary General’s efforts, “to achieve a political, realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara”, Hilale added.

The Moroccan diplomat described Staffan de Mistura as “a cornerstone of the UN in its efforts to settle disputes peacefully.” De Mistura, Hilale reiterated, comes with a substantial amount of experience in Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq and on the African continent.

Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN welcomed the likely designation of de Mistura. Hilale recalled that De Mistura is an “unbiased UN diplomat” with expertise in “international diplomacy,” which enables him to fully “understand the issues in the region and also comprehend the security and destabilizing threats.”

The likely appointment of de Mistura breaks a two-year deadlock in the Western Sahara peace process. The vital diplomatic position had been left vacant following the resignation of the previous envoy, Horst Kohler. Algeria and Morocco failed to agree on several candidates put forth by the UN in the following years.

Hilale explained the reason for the delay of appointing a special envoy, and stated that Guterres “had to find a qualified candidate to carry on the political operation that stopped with Kohler”.

Hilale regretted that Algeria had rejected several “highly qualified” candidates which he considered the primary reason the appointment was delayed for two years. He expressed his hope that the “delaying tactics” will come to an end to allow “the resumption of the roundtable process, long awaited by the Secretary General and the Security Council.”

Hilale highlighted that Morocco expects the timely appointment of de Mistura. The Moroccan diplomat said that “Morocco has been keen on the UN series of talks to reach a realistic, practical, and permanent political solution to stop the dispute in the Sahara.”

Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN stated that Morocco “has solemnly reaffirmed” its constant position for “autonomy, nothing but autonomy” as a solution for the dispute. Morocco’s proposition was given “during the two previous round tables in Geneva, in the presence of Algerian ministers Lamssahel, then Lamamra.” Morocco has offered broad regional autonomy “within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty and territorial integrity,” Hilale added.