2024-08-06 17:08:13
“As Senators and legitimate representatives of the Colombian people, we profoundly reject this ill-advised decision of the current government, which in no way represents the position of Colombians towards Morocco, and we reiterate our firm position of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco,” reads the motion adopted by an overwhelming majority of 65 Senators out of the 105 in the upper house of the Colombian Congress.
The motion, which was endorsed by Senators from nine of the most important political parties in Colombia, two of which are part of the government coalition, was supported in particular by the President of the Colombian Congress and Senate, Mr. Ivan Leónidas Name (Green Alliance) and the President of the Foreign Relations Commission in the Senate, Mr. Lidio Garcia Turbay (Liberal Party), both of whom wanted to send a very strong political message to President Gustavo Petro.
In this new motion, which follows the one adopted in October 2022, the signatories affirm that they “categorically reject the establishment of ‘diplomatic relations’ with the separatist movement (polisario) and the self-proclaimed ‘Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic’ and even more so, the presence in Colombia of its so-called ‘ambassador’.”
“We regret that this government has, once again, turned a deaf ear not only to our Motion of October 19, 2022, signed by 63 Senators, representing nine political parties, but also to our numerous calls for respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Morocco,” the text of the motion continues.
The signatories recall in this context that Colombia has with Morocco “a friendship of almost half a century and that it (the Kingdom) is a strategic and privileged ally of Colombia on the African continent and in the Arab world, given its great leadership and recognition on a regional, continental and global scale.”
They ask themselves “how can diplomatic relations be established with the separatist movement of the “Polisario Front”, if the 1961 Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations clearly stipulates that such relations are established between sovereign States recognized as such and that the separatist movement of the “Polisario Front”, as we all know, does not possess the minimum attributes of a State, is not recognized by the vast majority of countries, nor by the United Nations, and has no legal legitimacy, much less international legitimacy.”
Recalling the “cardinal principles” of Colombian diplomacy, which are respect for international legality, non-interference in the internal affairs of countries and respect for the territorial sovereignty of each of them, the motion deplores that these essential fundamentals have been totally transgressed by the government in power in Bogota.
“The position adopted by this government is not likely to promote the political process underway in New York, under the aegis of the United Nations, its Secretary General and its Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Mr. Staffan de Mistura,” observe the signatories of the motion, who also consider that “healthy relations cannot be built on the basis of obsolete ideological positions, inherited from the Cold War and even less so, that this type of position makes this government a standard-bearer of separatism.”
The 65 signatories of the motion also “deplored the deep crisis that our diplomatic, cooperation and friendship relations with the Kingdom of Morocco are going through”, noting that following this position of the Colombian government, “the positive and proactive dynamic that we had with this friendly country has completely stopped. Morocco has completely suspended cooperation, as well as all ongoing agreements, in sectors as important for Colombia as agriculture, renewable energy, the port sector, railways and tourism, with all the damage that this implies.”
And the Colombian Senators insisted: “we consider that it is the duty of the President of the Republic to manage international relations with responsibility, respect and coherence, but in this case, the position adopted by this government is not consistent with our interests as a country and does not benefit Colombians in any way.”
“On the contrary,” notes the text of the motion, “in a context where Colombia is implementing a policy of rapprochement with Africa, with a view to creating new alliances of cooperation, we are deeply affected by the adoption of this position with regard to Morocco, one of our main partners in this region and Colombia’s fourth client in Africa.”
The signatories accuse the current government of seeking to “create supposed alliances” with a separatist movement, which “represents absolutely nothing for Colombia, nor for the world, and which, moreover, raises serious questions about its links with terrorist groups,” concludes the text of the motion.
This new motion, which has the support of an overwhelming majority of members of the Upper House of Congress, the most important legislative body in Colombia, confirms, if need be, that the relationship with Morocco is not a matter specific to opposition political parties, but constitutes a subject of political consensus in Colombia.
Furthermore, with this massive support, the Colombian political class wishes to reiterate to the government of Gustavo Petro that relations with Morocco remain a priority and still current issue.
The parties signing the motion are the Liberal Party and the Green Alliance Party (members of the government coalition), the Conservative Party; the U Party; the MIRA Party; the Independent Social Alliance Party and the En Marche Party (Independents) and finally the Democratic Centre Party and the Radical Change Party (Opposition).
The motion was read in the plenary session of the Senate by Senator German Alcides Blanco Alvarez, president of the Colombia/Morocco friendship group in the Senate and president of the constitutional commission, the most important in the Colombian Congress.
The text of the motion will be sent to President Gustavo Petro and his Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alvaro Leyva.
2024-08-06 17:08:13