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Casablanca – The Gambia and Saint Lucia reiterated their full support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal, as the most efficient solution to the Western Sahara dispute.
Gambia’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Lang Yabo said that “the Gambia supports Morocco’s Autonomy Plan and urges that it be considered a consensual and viable solution,” during the 2022 C-24 Regional Seminar for the Caribbean, held in Saint Lucia from 11 May to 13 May
Morocco was represented at this conference by a delegation led by Morocco’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Omar Hilale.
“This initiative [Morocco’s Autonomy Plan] reflects a strong will to resolve this regional conflict and is in line with international law,” he added.
“The Gambian government acknowledges the notion of sovereignty as a core international law that cannot be overlooked in dealing with this dispute,” the Gambian ambassador said.
He explained that “in recognition of this fact, the Gambia opened a consulate general in Dakhla in January 2020 and continues to reaffirm its full support for Morocco’s territorial integrity and sovereignty over all of its territories, including the Moroccan Sahara.”
Yabo also pointed out that his country applauds Morocco’s staging of free and fair general elections on September 8, 2021, emphasizing that this vote led to “the election of representatives of the Moroccan Sahara by the population to represent them.”
He continued that this, is in addition to Morocco’s significant achievements in the field of human rights, which have been lauded by Security Council resolutions, including Resolution 2602.
The representative of the Gambia also praised Morocco for upholding the ceasefire in Western Sahara and urged other parties involved to do the same, as well as to ensure the respect and preservation of human rights and basic freedoms.
In the context of the COVID-19 epidemic, the diplomat highlighted Morocco’s efforts to guarantee universal immunization of the Saharan people. “All of these measures clearly reflect Morocco’s long-term commitment to achieve the socio-economic development of the Sahara region,” he said.
On the same occasion, Saint Lucia also reiterated its support for the Sahara autonomy plan, applauding Morocco’s “serious and credible” efforts to make progress in the United Nations process to address this regional dispute.
Saint Lucia also praised all sides’ efforts to find a reasonable, practical, long-term, and mutually acceptable political solution to the Western Sahara question.
