Finances News Hebdo: lately, the Moroccan Sahara file has experienced many favorable twists and turns for Morocco. How do you judge this development?
Mohamed Belmir: Morocco has continued to score important points in favor of its territorial integrity. Moroccan diplomacy has shown remarkable work. The number of countries recognizing the Moroccanity of Sahara continues to increase. Some recognitions are very special. First there is Spain, the former colonizer, who knows better than anyone that this land has been, since the dawn of time, an integral part of the national territory. There are also France and the United States, two permanent members of the Security Council. All these countries have repeatedly confirmed the Moroccanity of the Sahara. This conflict was created from scratch by the enemies of the nation, at their head Algeria which took advantage of a certain number of circumstances in the mid -1970s to give it the dimension that knows. It should also be remembered that this conflict was born in the wake of the Cold War. Most countries that still support the Polisario, the number of which is constantly decreasing, are states of the former Eastern Bloc or having regimes with a communist connotation. Algeria is always pretended to maintain this conflict to justify its hostility towards Morocco, which has become a state doctrine. She hopes to see a state born under its supervision to isolate Morocco and cut it from its links with Africa, while having direct access to the Atlantic. Defeat militarily and politically, our Eastern neighbors and the Polisario play their latest Cards hoping to perpetuate the conflict.
FNH: The Sahara’s file is going through a crucial period. What are your forecasts for the future?
M. B. : All United Nations resolutions advocate the political solution, because the referendum is an option that has become impracticable and outdated. Morocco has proposed autonomy within the framework of national sovereignty, while the other party clings to self -determination. Minurso has recognized that it is difficult to identify the electoral body. To blur the cards, Algeria refuses to identify The population of Tindouf camps. A good part of the inhabitants of this region have nothing to do with the area of the conflict: they are either of Algerian, Mauritanian or the countries of the Sahel. Therefore, the Moroccan proposal remains the only credible and achievable option that can end this conflict which has only lasted too much. It presents a serious threat to the stability of the region and even for Europe. The autonomy plan begins to win. Moreover, Stefan de Mistura, the UN emissary in the Sahara, shows the constant interest of the UN in this option.
FNH: President Trump said the United States will no longer finance world peace missions. Is this announcing the end of the Minurso?
M. B. : Trump is a very pragmatic president. He believes that these missions have not achieved their objectives. Their maintenance represents a huge financial chasm. The withdrawal of the United States, which is the main contributor, should ultimately compromise the existence of these missions or the reduction of their role. The idea of Trump ultimately is to push the belligerents to negotiate to find an agreement. The year 2025 will be crucial and the resolution of the Security Council, expected next October, will be decisive to close this file which has lasted for 50 years. It is for this reason that American diplomacy is active to converge points of view in order to find a compromise preserving the interests of all parties.
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