UAE, Bahrain Reaffirm Support for Moroccan Autonomy Plan

Rabat – The United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have reiterated their steadfast support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative as the definitive solution to the ongoing Sahara issue, emphasizing the importance of preserving Morocco’s territorial integrity.

In comments today at the ongoing UN C24 session, Emirati representative Aysha Almenhali described the Moroccan autonomy initiative as “the only basis for reaching a just and lasting political solution.”

This plan, previously deemed “serious and credible” by the Security Council, proposes a degree of self-governance for the Western Sahara region while remaining under Moroccan sovereignty.

Almenhali further emphasized the UAE’s “total support” for Morocco’s territorial integrity over the entire Western Sahara. She commended Morocco’s investments and development projects in the southern provinces, which Morocco considers as integral parts of its territory.

Bahrain’s representative at the C24 echoed the UAE’s stance, reaffirming their “constant and supportive” position in backing Morocco’s territorial integrity and security.

“The Kingdom of Bahrain reiterates its constant and supportive stance with the Kingdom of Morocco in preserving its security and territorial integrity,” the Bahraini diplomat affirmed, highlighting Bahrain’s support for Morocco’s autonomy initiative and the establishment of its general consulate in Laâyoune in December 2020 as a testament to its commitment.

Bahrain welcomed the dialogue efforts led by Staffan de Mistura, the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Moroccan Sahara, and urged all parties to engage constructively in accordance with Security Council resolution 2703.

The Bahraini representative also praised the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy in seeking a realistic, lasting, and compromise-based political solution within the framework of Morocco’s national sovereignty.

Both the UAE and Bahrain acknowledged and expressed support for de Mistura’s efforts to pave the way for a much-needed political dialogue to end the lingering Sahara dispute.

This comes months after the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara undertook a regional tour to revive the stalled political process.

Hailing the UN’s apparent focus on the confidence-building phase in the long-stalled efforts to broker a political resolution, the UAE and Bahrain recalled UN Security Council Resolution 2703 and the need to keep pushing for all parties involved in the Sahara dispute to constructively engage with the UN-led political process.

Adopted by the UN Security Council in April 2023, Resolution 2703 extended the mandate of the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO) for an additional year. However, the resolution did not explicitly endorse any specific solution to the conflict.

The UN C24 session refers to meetings held by the United Nations Special Committee on Decolonization, commonly known as the Committee of 24.

This committee was established in 1961 by the General Assembly with the goal of monitoring the implementation of the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (Resolution 1514 (XV) of 1960).