“Gabon reiterates its support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, because it presents credible and reassuring prospects that will not only put an end to the current political impasse, but also achieve an acceptable and negotiated political solution,” stressed Gabon’s representative, Lia Bouanga Ayoune.
She noted that more than a hundred countries have expressed their support for the settlement proposed by the Kingdom to end this artificial conflict.
The Gabonese diplomat also praised the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, who “is working tirelessly to relaunch the political process under the exclusive auspices of the United Nations.”
“His commitment to the success of his mission is evident through the visits he made, during the year 2022, to Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the Tindouf camps, as well as through the informal bilateral consultations he conducted,” she said.
She noted that this diplomatic revival is an “encouraging sign” that calls for the resumption of the round table process around the four participants, namely Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania and the “polisario”, inviting all of these participants to engage throughout this process, in a spirit of compromise, with a view to reaching a political solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, as recommended by the Security Council resolutions.
The speaker also said she was encouraged by the positive dynamic observed on the ground and marked in particular by the participation of representatives of the Moroccan Sahara in the various regional seminars of the UN Committee of 24 (C24).
On the economic front, Morocco is making ongoing efforts to improve the living conditions of the populations of the southern provinces, she further indicated, noting that the New Development Model for the Southern Provinces, launched in 2015, has significantly contributed to the increase in human development indices in this region.
“Clearly, these socio-economic advances strengthen international cooperation in the region,” she said, while several countries from all regions of the world have opened consulates general in Laayoune and Dakhla, including Gabon.
Referring to the field of human rights, the representative of Gabon praised Morocco’s “substantial” achievements in this area, citing in particular the strengthening of the role of the regional commissions of the National Human Rights Council in Laayoune and Dakhla, bilateral cooperation with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the treaty bodies and the special procedures of the Human Rights Council.
“These efforts have been welcomed by Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2654,” she stressed.
And to conclude that Gabon “encourages” Morocco to continue its efforts to preserve the ceasefire and its cooperation with MINURSO, calling on all other parties to do the same in the interest of security and stability in the entire region.
2024-08-24 03:32:02