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Rabat – Morocco hit back at South Africa’s recent provocative and hostile acts, which challenged Rabat’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over Western Sahara.
Earlier this week, South African President Cyril Ramaphosa received Polisario leader Brahim Ghali, and conveyed his country’s “unapologetic” support for the separatist group’s independence claims over Western Sahara.
Speaking in a joint press conference on Thursday with his Belgian counterpart Hadja Lahbib, Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Nasser Bourita argued that South Africa’s “gesticulations and agitations” reflect Pretoria’s inability to “act on the issue.”
“A solution based on international legitimacy, and which distinguishes a state from a militia, a flag from a rag, is what people expect from a credible country,” the Moroccan FM said, stressing that Morocco will continue to defend its territorial integrity and interests, using all means at its disposal.
Bourita regretted that Pretoria’s acts harm “bilateral relations and everything that has been built, especially in economic circles…. A South African company cannot make money in Morocco by standing idly by in the face of the actions of its government.”
Bourita emphasized that the statement by Pretoria is not surprising, but recalled King Mohammed VI’s August speech, in which the monarch emphasized the centrality of Morocco’s territorial integrity to its foreign policy.
In his speech, the King stated that “the Sahara issue is the lens through which Morocco looks at the world. It is the clear, simple benchmark whereby my country measures the sincerity of friendships and the efficiency of partnerships.”
South Africa recognized the self-proclaimed Republic Sahrawi in 2005.
Bourita said that South Africa was hoping to see countries from Africa and across the world, following in its footsteps.
“What really happened is that, since 2005, 20 countries have withdrawn their recognition, 10 in Africa, including seven in the vicinity of Pretoria,” Bourita said.
The Moroccan official recalled that half of the African continent, or 23 countries, opened consulates in the southern provinces, while 90 countries, including Belgium and nearly 10 other European states expressed support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan.
“Of these 90 countries, 30 are African countries which adopt the same positive attitude,” he concluded.
Belgium announced its formal support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan on Thursday, describing Morocco’s initiative as a “good basis” to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
The Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and several other European countries also announced their support for the Moroccan initiative, describing it as the most credible and serious basis to end the dispute.
