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Rabat – The City Council of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, has adopted Resolution 5022 in support of UN Security Council Resolution 2797, adopted last year in October for Western Sahara.
The UNSC resolution recognized Morocco’s Autonomy Plan as the genuine political roadmap to bring an end to the dispute over the Western Sahara region in southern Morocco.
The Pine Bluff City Council backed the UNSC’s endorsement through Resolution 5022 of April, expressing support for the Moroccan Autonomy Plan and describing it as a serious and credible plan.”
Resolution 5022 received support and approval from the city’s officials, including the city’s mayor, Vivian Flowers, the city’s clerk, the city’s attorney, and eight additional sponsors.
“We, the mayor and members of the city council, express our sense and desire and hope for the prosperity of the people of the Western Sahara region, and particularly for the harmony and prosperity for the people of our sister city, the City of Dakhla in the Kingdom of Morocco, through the implementation of the Moroccan Autonomy Plan,” the resolution reads.
It also recalls an emerging consensus in the international community and regional stakeholders in support of Moroccan autonomy, endorsing the UN-led political process and efforts to promote the preservation and stability in the region.
The resolution aligns with the US position in support of Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over its southern provinces.
Read also: Polisario’s Terrorist Reckoning: Why Morocco Should Escalate Its Washington Lobbying
The US announced first its decision to recognize Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces in December 2020. Since then, Washington has repeatedly upheld that spirit while emphasizing its determination to continue supporting the Moroccan autonomy plan as the only viable basis for a lasting and realistic resolution of the Sahara dispute.
Meanwhile, the US has also publicly expressed concerns over Polisario’s threats to the region, most recently taking issue with the separatist group’s attack on Morocco’s Es-Semara on May 5.
The US firmly condemned Polisario’s terrorist attack last week, describing it as inconsistent with the US-facilitated dialogue aimed at bringing the parties together to reach a mutually acceptable and agreed-upon solution to the Sahara dispute.
“The time to end this 50-year-old dispute is now,” the US mission in the UN said in a statement on May 7, reflecting growing frustration with and condemnation of Polisario’s attack on both Morocco’s territorial integrity and regional stability.
The US also recalled its firm support for Resolution 2797, reaffirming its stance that Morocco’s Autonomy Plan remains the only viable political framework to end the lingering Sahara dispute.
“The Moroccan Autonomy Proposal lays out the path to peace in Western Sahara. We call on all those resisting peace to genuinely commit to a brighter future. The status quo cannot continue,” the US mission said.
