Rabat –Morocco’s government spokesperson Mustapha El Khalfi spoke about Geneva’s Western Sahara roundtable, which convened the four parties to the conflict on December 6-7.
On Thursday after the weekly cabinet meeting, El Khalfi said in a press conference that the roundtable on the Western Sahara conflict marked “significant changes” as it brought together the four stakeholders.
He reiterated Morocco’s long-held and “unwavering” position that Algeria is a “leading player” in the Western Sahara conflict, a position that King Mohammed VI reaffirmed in his message to the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres last March.
El Khalfi went on to say that through this participation, Morocco showed its commitment to aiding the efforts of the Secretary General’s personal Envoy Horst Kohler in finding a mutually acceptable political solution to the conflict.
The Moroccan official pointed out that Morocco has long proposed the idea of finding a realistic solution through its autonomy plan.
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He added that the Maghreb region must be a player in the peace, stability, and development of the five countries, and that the aim “is not only to find a solution to the regional conflict but also to lay the foundations for effective regional integration.”
“It is impossible to determine the future of the Sahara without the involvement of its inhabitants,” he said.
El Khalfi said that UN Security Council Resolution 2440 adopted on October 31, brushed aside the Polisario’s claims that the area east of Morocco’s defense wall belongs to its “liberated territories.”
Recalling the resolutions of the Security Council, El Khalfi said that the UN has been clear as it urged Polisario to refrain from transferring some of its “administrative facilities,” to the buffer zone and east Morocco’s defense wall.
He also reiterated that the Western Sahara conflict should only be solved within the auspices of the United Nations.
