APA-Rabat (Morocco) The United Nations Security Council decided on Monday to extend the mandate of the UN mission in the Sahara (MINURSO) for a further year, until 31 October 2024, according to the text of resolution 2703, adopted by 13 votes in favour and two abstentions.
In this new resolution, the executive body of the United Nations reaffirmed its support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, presented by Morocco in 2007, as a serious and credible basis.
The members of the Council also reiterated their support for the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Staffan De Mistura, to advance the political process with a view to reaching a realistic, pragmatic and lasting solution based on compromise.
Reacting to the resolution, Morocco welcomed the adoption by the UN Security Council of resolution 2703 on the question of the Moroccan Sahara, stressing that “the adoption of this resolution comes in a context marked by the continuation of the positive dynamic that the issue is experiencing.”
Indeed, the growing international support of nearly a hundred countries for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative, the opening of more than thirty Consulates General in Laayoune and Dakhla, the non-recognition of the puppet entity by more than 84 percent of UN member states, as well as the economic and social development of the region within the framework of the New Development Model for the Southern Provinces, all support the approach advocated by the Kingdom in dealing with this issue, according to a press release from the Moroccan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“It is in this context that the Security Council, through today’s resolution, confirms its approach to the question of the Moroccan Sahara, in terms of identifying the parties, establishing the framework of the process and confirming its purpose,” the same source said.
The resolution clearly identified the parties to the political process, which must assume their political, legal and moral responsibility in the search for a definitive solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara. In particular, it mentions Algeria six times, i.e. as many times as Morocco, confirming that Algeria is indeed the main party to this artificial dispute, the press release notes.
Similarly, the new resolution enshrines the round tables as the sole framework for the political process, with the participation of Algeria in particular, a stakeholder directly involved.
Finally, the Security Council confirmed that the definitive political solution can only be a “realistic, pragmatic and lasting political solution based on compromise.” These parameters are once again coupled with the Security Council’s support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, described as “serious and credible.” It is important to note in this context that several countries around the world have clearly expressed their support for this Initiative as the essential basis for any solution to this regional dispute.
The new resolution also called the “Polisario” to order regarding its violations and restrictions on MINURSO’s freedom of movement. It also reiterated its request to Algeria to allow the registration of the population of the Tindouf camps, adds the same source.
“On the strength of its achievements and the constancy of the Security Council’s approach, Morocco remains fully committed to supporting the efforts of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy aimed at re-launching the round table process, with a view to reaching a political solution, based on the Moroccan autonomy initiative and in strict compliance with the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty,” it concludes.
HA/fss/abj/APA