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Rabat – The Moroccaness of Western Sahara is indisputable and is affirmed under the Madrid Agreement in 1975, Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Omar Hilale, said on Wednesday.
The Moroccan diplomat made the comments while addressing the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization (C24), stating: “I would like to once again reaffirm that the decolonization of the Saharan provinces of Morocco was definitively and irrevocably settled in 1975 under the Madrid Agreement.”
Hilale highlighted the historical context of the Western Sahara dispute, pointing out that even before the Madrid Agreement, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) had supported Morocco’s sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The ICJ’s advisory opinion stated that the Sahara was not terra nullius (land belonging to no one) at the time of Spain’s occupation in 1884 and that legal ties of allegiance and sovereignty had always existed between the Sultans of Morocco and the tribes of Western Sahara.
Ambassador Hilale further noted that the dispute over the Sahara is being addressed by the Security Council as a regional dispute between Morocco and Algeria under Chapter VI of the United Nations Charter.
He emphasized that only the Security Council has the legitimacy to make recommendations and propose a solution to the regional dispute, as reflected in its annual resolutions, including Resolution 2654 adopted in October 2022.
Resolution 2654 reaffirmed the four irreversible dimensions for resolving the Western Sahara question, emphasizing that any genuine solution to the decades-old dispute should be “political, realistic, pragmatic, durable, and based on compromise.”
Hilale clarified that the so-called “settlement plan” and “referendum,” which some still advocate for, have definitely been dismissed by the Security Council and the UN Secretary-General for over two decades.
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Regarding the Moroccan Autonomy Plan, Hilale highlighted its significance as the ideal solution within the framework of Morocco’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty.
He stressed that the Security Council has consistently described the initiative as serious and credible in its resolutions since its presentation in 2007.
The Moroccan diplomat underlined the growing international support for the Autonomy Plan, with over 100 UN member states, representing diverse regions of the world, considering it the only viable basis for resolving the Sahara dispute.
He further pointed out that the international recognition of the Moroccaness of Western Sahara has been strengthened by the opening of General Consulates in Laayoune and Dakhla by 28 countries and regional organizations.
Turning to the issue of Algeria’s historical and continued role in the dispute, Hilale expressed regret that Algeria continues to reject Security Council resolutions and refuses to participate in the roundtable discussions, impeding the progress of the UN-led political process.
“The Sahara has always been Moroccan. It is Moroccan. It will remain Moroccan,” he insisted.
