Western Sahara: Experts Urge Mexico, Latin America to Support Moroccan Plan

Rabat – Some Mexican experts have reiterated their support of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan for Western Sahara, calling upon Mexico and other Latin American countries to recognize the “serious and credible” proposal.

The Mexican experts commended Spain’s latest endorsement of Morocco’s Autonomy Plan during an online conference organized by the Autonomy for the Sahara Coalition (AUSACO) in Mexico City.

Former Polisario member Bachir Edkhil moderated the conference on Tuesday. He highlighted the socio-economic and political achievements realized in Western Sahara by Moroccan authorities and criticized the outdated positions of Algeria and Polisario.

“It is the immeasurable efforts made by Morocco that have made it possible to erect the Moroccan Sahara into a region of stability, prosperity, and a future for the development of the entire African continent,” said Mexican international development expert, Pedro Diaz de la Vega.

Rafael Esparza Machin, a Spanish Professor and expert in Maghreb issues, agreed with Vega’s comments.

Spanish endorsement in international law

The Mexican Professor of international law, Juan de Dios Gutierrez Baylon, argued that Spain’s new stand on the Western Sahara dispute aligns with the UN Security Council resolutions and the international law.

“Autonomy is the only solution to guarantee the right to self-determination of the population of the Sahara,” he added.

Baylon further recalled the high participation of the Western Sahara population in the 2021 elections, noting that the region shows its attachment to Morocco on a daily basis.

Latin American countries should follow this “historic” shift in favor of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan, Baylon added, noting that more than 70% of countries that once recognized the self-proclaimed Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) have changed their stances on the Sahara dispute.

The opening of new consulates in Western Sahara reflects this new reality of an increasingly prevailing momentum in Morocco’s favor, he stated.

Call for a shift in the Mexican stand

For his part, the president of the Association of Moroccan Jews in Mexico, Moises Amselem Elbaz, noted that the growing support for the Moroccan plan for Western Sahara shows that Morocco is “a reliable, listened to, and appreciated interlocutor” in maintaining and promoting regional peace.

“Mexico is called upon to make the necessary distinction between those who work for peace, prosperity, and the development of the transatlantic space, and those who work to install division, resentment, and instability,” Elbaz said.

In 1979, Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castaneda y Alvarez de la Rosa recognized the separatist Polisario Front’s self-style Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR) as a state.

Since then, Mexican and SADR officials have organized several bilateral meetings, tightening relations between Rabat and Mexico City.

In 2018, the Secretary-General of Polisario Front Brahim Ghali attended the inauguration of Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador while no Moroccan officials participated in the event.