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Rabat – Moroccan parliamentarian Lahcen Haddad has described the recent remarks by EU High Representative, Josep Borrell, as “incoherent” in regard to recent developments in the Western Sahara dossier.
A member of the House of Councillors and former Tourism Minister, Haddad said that Borrell’s recent remarks are a “distortion of the sovereign position taken by the Spanish government which considers Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious, realistic, and credible basis” to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Borrell made a controversial remark that stands in contrast to Spain’s new Western Sahara position during a recent interview with RTVE. He claimed that “the position that the Spanish government was, and is that of the EU, that is defending the holding of a consultation so that it is the Sahrawi people who decide how they want their future to be.”
Borrell’s remarks come a few days after King Mohammed VI’s speech on the anniversary of the Revolution of the King and the People, in which the monarch commended Spain’s firm support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
Haddad, who is also the President of the Morocco-EU Joint Parliamentary Committee, said Borrell is contradicting the EU’s position, as well as a position he himself made in previous statements.
Recalling the EU’s position at the 14th meeting of the EU-Morocco Association Council, Haddad said the European bloc welcomed Morocco’s serious and credible efforts – particularly the Autonomy Plan.
Haddad said that Borrell took the same position during a joint statement after his meeting with Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs on January 29, 2020.
The former minister also recalled Borrell’s answer to an MEP, during which the EU official emphasized the bloc’s determination to continue to support a realistic and lasting political solution based on compromise.
The EU high representative also commented on Spain’s new Western Sahara position, emphasizing that Madrid’s support is within the framework of the UN and the resolutions of the UN Security Council. He recalled that Spain’s endorsement of the Autonomy Plan is similar to that adopted by a number of other European countries, including France and Germany.
“And all these positions meet the UN Charter, which advocates a negotiated solution between the parties involved,” he said in March.
Haddad commented on Borell’s claims that appear to promote a referendum for Western Sahara, describing this proposal as “obsolete and outdated.”
The Moroccan member of parliament recalled that the Moroccan Sahrawi people are regularly consulted during legislative and local elections where “they express their attachment to Morocco’s institutions and their adherence to the democratic process.”
Participation in Morocco’s general elections of 2021 in its southern provinces reached 63%.
Following the election turnout, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita said that the high participation “undeniably reflects the will of the population of the southern provinces to engage fully and effectively.”
