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Rabat – The UAE and Gabon reiterated their support for Morocco’s position on the Western Sahara dispute on Thursday, October 27.
Michel Xavier Biang, the permanent representative of Gabon and President of the Security Council for October 2022, recalled his country’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity following the vote of the UN body on Resolution 2654.
The newly-adopted resolution extended the mandate of the UN peacekeeping operation MINURSO for one year.
Following the vote, Biang renewed his support for the UN-led political process to reach a “realistic, achievable, and lasting political solution based on a compromise for Western Sahara.”
The Gabonese diplomat also echoed his country’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as a “credible and reassuring prospect for a way out of the current impasse” and for reaching an acceptable solution for the dispute.
Biang also expressed satisfaction with the resolution, saying that it would make it possible to support the UN Personal Envoy Staffan de Mistura in his efforts to relaunch the political process with the parties to the dispute, including Morocco, Polisario, Algeria, and Mauritania.
Deputy Permanent Representative of the United Arab Emirates Mission to the UN Amiera Alhefeiti echoed Gabon’s support for Morocco’s territorial integrity, renewing her country’s backing for the “credible and serious” Moroccan Autonomy Plan.
The UAE diplomat also reiterated support for the UN-led political efforts and de Mistura’s efforts to relaunch dialogue with the main parties to the dispute as part of the roundtable talks.
Gabon and the UAE are part of a growing list of countries that have expressed support for Morocco’s position on Western Sahara.
The two countries are also part of a list of over 27 countries that opened consulates general in the southern provinces of Laayoune and Dakhla, reflecting their support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
The UAE opened its consulate in Laayoune in November 2020, while Gabon inaugurated its representation in the same city in January 2020.
Morocco’s ambassador to the UN Omar Hilale emphasized that over 90 countries support the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a good basis to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
