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Rabat – The European Union has reiterated its traditional position, supporting the UN-led political process to find a just, realistic, lasting, and mutually acceptable political solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
Nabila Massrali, spokesperson for the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said that the EU position is clear and consists in “strongly supporting the efforts of the [UN] Secretary-General to reach a just, realistic, and lasting.. political solution to the Sahara issue.”
The spokesperson also highlighted its acknowledgment of Morocco’s efforts in the UN-led political process, stating that the EU position was detailed in the “Joint Political Declaration between the EU and Morocco of June 2019, which had taken positive note of the serious and credible efforts” made by Rabat.
The spokesperson additionally renewed its support for the work of the UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, and encouraged all parties to the dispute to engage with him for the resumption of the political process.
Marssali’s remarks came following remarks by EU High Representative Josep Borrell.
Deemed “incoherent” by some Moroccan analysts and politicians, Borrell’s remarks claimed that Spain’s position “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.”
Moroccan parliamentarian Lahcen Haddad responded to Borrell’s remarks, describing his statement as “incoherent” in regard to the recent developments in the Sahara dossier.
The former Moroccan Minister of Tourism emphasized that the 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.
Spain endorsed Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in March. The decision resulted in the opening of a new phase of diplomatic ties between Rabat and Madrid following a year-long diplomatic crisis.
After Spain announced its new foreign policy stance on the decades-old dispute, Borrell commended Spain’s position, emphasizing that it is within the framework of the UN and the resolutions of the UN Security Council. He also recalled that Madrid’s move is similar to that adopted by other countries, including France and Germany, stressing that these stances comply with the UN charter.
