According to diplomatic sources in New York, Council members received a briefing on Monday from the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, as well as the Secretary-General’s Personal Representative and head of MINURSO, Alexander Ivanko.
The consultations come ahead of the adoption in late October of a resolution extending MINURSO’s mandate, which UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has recommended for a one-year term.
During these consultations, the two UN officials briefed the members of the Security Council on the basis of the latest report of the UN Secretary-General on the question of the Moroccan Sahara, in which Mr. Guterres protested in particular against the repeated violations and obstructions by the “polisario” to freedom of movement and the operational and logistical activities of MINURSO.
He also reported the deterioration of the human rights situation in the Tindouf camps in Algeria and the continued abuses, violations and exploitation by the “polisario” of the rights of the populations held captive in these camps, in particular the right to freedom of expression and movement.
The UN Secretary-General also reaffirmed in his report the fundamentals of the UN political process, as recommended by the Security Council in all its resolutions since 2018, stressing that a solution to this conflict is possible provided that “all parties concerned”, particularly Algeria, engage in good faith, with realism and in a spirit of compromise, in the facilitation effort led by his Personal Envoy and in the continuity of the dynamics of the round tables initiated by his predecessor.
Well-informed and concordant diplomatic sources at the UN indicated that, during these consultations, Mr. de Mistura returned to his visit, at the invitation of Morocco, to Laayoune and Dakhla, in the Saharan provinces of the Kingdom, from September 5 to 7.
During this visit, the UN official had talks with local elected officials, dignitaries and sheikhs of the Sahrawi tribes, who expressed their unwavering attachment to the Moroccanness of the Sahara and their support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, within the framework of the national sovereignty of the Kingdom and its territorial integrity.
During this trip, he was able to appreciate local democracy in the southern provinces, where the population elects, by universal suffrage and with a participation rate that exceeds the national average, its representatives both at the level of the national Parliament and of regional and municipal authorities.
The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General also briefed the members of the Council on the dynamics of grandiose development that he had witnessed first-hand, and that the southern provinces have been experiencing since their return to the motherland, as well as the tranquility that reigns in these provinces, and the important infrastructures that have been built to promote the economic, social, cultural and environmental development of the Sahara, within the framework of the new development model of the southern provinces. Several members of the Council also welcomed the colossal efforts made by Morocco in this context, which make the Moroccan Sahara one of the most prosperous regions not only at the national level but also at the regional and continental level.
According to the same sources, a large number of countries expressed, during these consultations, their support for the Moroccan autonomy initiative, stressing that this initiative represents the serious and credible basis capable of resolving the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, as enshrined in Security Council resolutions since 2007.
They unanimously supported the UN political process aimed at reaching a political, realistic, pragmatic, lasting and compromise solution to the question of the Moroccan Sahara, on the exclusive basis of the resolutions of the Security Council since 2007, particularly resolution 2654 of October 2022, confirming once again, if it was still necessary, the definitive burial of the referendum, added the same sources.
In this regard, they reaffirmed their support for the efforts of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to revive the UN political process. A strong and frank call was made for the resumption, as soon as possible, of the round table process, which Algeria continues to oppose, ignoring the calls of the international community for a definitive political settlement of this regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
The role of Algeria as the main party to this dispute was also highlighted during these consultations.
The members of the Security Council also highlighted the close cooperation between the Moroccan authorities and MINURSO, confirmed in Mr. Guterres’ latest report.
They also expressed serious concern about the “polisario’s” renunciation of the ceasefire, its violations of the military agreements, and its obstruction of the activities of MINURSO and the freedom of movement of its military observers.
They called on the “polisario” to respect the ceasefire, to refrain from any act of provocation and to stop its dangerous obstructions to the implementation of MINURSO’s ceasefire supervision mandate, in particular by blocking its patrols and preventing the resupply of military observers.
According to the same sources, several countries have highlighted the stability and peace prevailing in the southern provinces, debunking the false allegations of Algeria and its puppet “polisario” about an alleged conflict in the Moroccan Sahara.
2024-08-24 17:22:33