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Rabat – Morocco has warned Staffan de Mistura, UN Personal Envoy for Western Sahara, about the controversial nature of his visit to South Africa.
Morocco’s permanent representative at the UN Omar Hilale conveyed Morocco’s position against the controversial visit in a new interview, in which he confirmed that Rabat was “not consulted at any time, nor was informed” about de Mistura’s trip to Pretoria.
He said that once Morocco became aware of this planned visit several weeks ago, the country promptly conveyed to the UN, including de Mistura, its “categorical opposition to such a trip and our rejection of any interaction with Pretoria regarding the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.”
Earlier this week, de Mistura sparked outrage in Morocco over his visit to South Africa, where he met with senior officials to discuss the Western Sahara dispute.
He stirred a wave of criticism as South Africa is not an actor nor party to the dispute.
In an attempt to downplay the controversial move, the UN claimed that the envoy’s mandate enables him to hold talks with “whomever he thinks he should speak to.”
“I dare to hope that this is not a lack of confidence in Morocco on Mr. de Mistura’s part but a simple misjudgment of South Africa’s true position,” Hilale said, noting that Morocco has “clearly warned him about the consequences of his journey on the political process.”
Hilale stressed that Morocco reminded the envoy of the fundamentals of his mandate, which are outlined in his letter of appointment by the UN Secretary-General.
“It specifies that he should exclusively work with the four parties in the political process and the Security Council resolutions since 2007, including Resolution 2703 of last October 30,” Hilale said.
All these resolutions make “no reference” to South Africa, neither its alleged role or contribution to the UN-led political process, he said.
Hilale recalled South Africa’s position, including its unwavering support for the Polisario Front — a separatist group claiming independence in the Western Sahara region.
“For all these reasons, Morocco will never allow South Africa to have any role in the issue of the Moroccan Sahara. Pretoria has been and remains toxic to the question of the Moroccan Sahara,” he said.
Hilal said that no approach beyond the roundtable discussions are acceptable in the UN-led process, recalling Algeria’s reluctance to engage in efforts seeking a political solution to end the dispute.
“That is why Morocco wishes that Mr. de Mistura dedicates his efforts more to persuade Algeria to return to the roundtable [process] as in 2018 and 2019,” Hilale said
The UN-led political process has been facing stagnation for several years, since the resignation of former envoy Horst Kohler — who was able to convene all parties to the dispute in Geneva roundtable discussions on the Western Sahara dossier.
Kohler resigned in 2019, citing health reasons. De Mistura took the helm in 2021, but failed to convene the parties to the dispute around roundtables, as Algeria — which hosts arms, finances, and supports the Polisario Front– continues to reject its responsibility in the dispute.
Algerian journalist and analyst Oualid Kebir similarly criticized de Mistura’s visit to South Africa, stressing that it should be merely viewed as a move with a primary goal of “provoking Morocco, nothing more and nothing less.”
He told Morocco World News on Thursday that the visit will “have a negative impact on the continuity of the UN envoy.”
