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Rabat – Miryan Vieira, Cape Verde’s Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs, renewed on Sunday her country’s support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the most serious and credible political solution to end the dispute over Western Sahara.
Cape Verdean newspaper Expresso das Ilhas published an interview with Vieira on Sunday, quoting the official as stressing the importance of bilateral ties with Morocco – a strategic partner for her country at different levels.
Asked about Cape Verde’s support for Morocco’s position on the Sahara dispute, Vieira reiterated her country’s support for the autonomy initiative as well as confidence in the UN-led political process to find a lasting solution to the dispute.
When asked whether support for Morocco means Cape Verde “no longer recognizes the right to self determination,” Vieira noted that the Moroccan autonomy initiative consists of 35 points, “and as you can also see, among these points is the issue of self-determination.”
She added that the Moroccan plan meets the UN’s self-determination criteria, in addition to pushing for the preservation of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces.
“I must say that there is also a need to demystify somewhat what the concept is; there are various theories about self-determination,” she explained. “There are several concepts, several theories about it, but what interests us is that, above all, the international community, especially within the framework of consultation under the auspices of the United Nations, finds a solution to this conflict.”
Morocco’s Autonomy Plan in a nutshell
Morocco submitted the autonomy initiative to the UN in 2007, following a large consultation process at national and local levels to gather news and exchange discussions about the implementation of the autonomy initiative.
The plan grants the local populations in the southern provinces broad self-governance rights (notably the election of independent legislative, executive and judicial bodies) while remaining under Moroccan sovereignty. .
The elected local authorities will have their financial autonomy to develop the region in all areas, while the domains of security and external or foreign relations will be the preserve of the central Moroccan government.
Cape Verde is among the countries that have opened diplomatic representations in Morocco’s southern provinces in Western Sahara. The West African country opened its general consulate in Dakhla in August 2022, cementing its support for Morocco’s territorial integrity.
In her Sunday’s interview, Vierra stressed that in addition to its support for the Moroccan autonomy plan, Cape Verde’s primary goal is to have greater presence in the African continent.
“Our purpose is primarily to foster relations with the countries of the African Union. Morocco has been a traditional cooperation partner with Cape Verde in different domains,” she argued, noting that the North African country hosts a significant number of Cape Verdean students.
She concluded that Cape Verde’s support for Morocco’s autonomy plan and the opening of the country’s consulate in Dakhla does not in any way “violate our constitution as has been portrayed in the media.”
