The Under-Secretary of State at the British Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, Hamish Falconer, met in London with the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for Western Sahara, Staffan de Mistura, with the aim of making to advance the political process led by the United Nations and to reach a solution to the conflict.
The meeting highlights London’s interest in the Sahara issue, as well as its commitment to support UN-led diplomatic efforts aimed at achieving stability in the regiontaking into account the geostrategic role of the Sahara region following the launch by the King of Morocco Mohammed VI of the Atlantic initiative.
During the meeting, theThe two parties discussed the role of the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in the Sahara (MINURSO) in maintaining security and stability in the region.
In this regard, as Muhammad Boudin, an expert in international affairs, explained to Al-Arab, due to the continued blockage of the political process that recent UN resolutions have recommended reactivating, “De Mistura finds his diplomatic options limited, which makes him believe he must continue to propose ideas on how to achieve a new breakthrough.”
He therefore believes that the meetings held by De Mistura should seek to achieve fundamental objectives, including: “intensifying work on building confidence in the political process and respecting UN agreements and holding accountable the real culprits of creating the regional conflict around the Sahara”. He also highlights the 100 countries in the world that have a clear position on Morocco’s autonomy initiative, such as the United States, Spain and France.
The results of these discussions are expected to form part of the reports that will be presented to the Security Council with the possibility of extending the mandate of the United Nations Mission for the Organization of a Referendum in the Sahara for an additional year in October. In the meantime, The international community continues to hope to see tangible progress in the political process in the hope of reaching a lasting solution.
In recent months, the House of Commons has witnessed a debate on Western Sahara in which British representatives from both the Labour and Conservative parties have submitted clear questions to the Foreign Office on the subject. They also called for strengthening the relationship with Morocco and recognizing the autonomy initiative presented by Rabat.
For its part, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in response to two parliamentary questions on the merits of recognizing Morocco’s sovereignty over its southern provinces and the obstacles preventing London from taking this step, made it clear that London supports the relevant international efforts, stressing that “British officials regularly raise the issue of the Sahara with international partners, including the United Nations, Morocco and Algeria, and continue to encourage constructive engagement in the political process”.
Furthermore, in response to a question from Conservative MP Andrew Morson on the Sahara issue, The British Government has reaffirmed its support for UN-led efforts to achieve a just, lasting and mutually acceptable political solutionbased on the principle of consensus.
Daniel Kawczynski, the Conservative Party’s parliamentary representative in the British House of Commons, recently visited the southern cities of Laayoune and Dakhla and held a meeting with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita. The British MP stressed the importance of his country’s recognition of Moroccan ownership of the Sahara.“like Spain, the former colonial power in the Sahara, as the only way to end the conflict.”
“Britain is not opposed to the unity of the Kingdom of Morocco, and its support for the political process in the Sahara and the efforts of the United Nations is the result of a pragmatic vision,” Sherifa Lemuir, a political science researcher, told Al-Arab. “Britain’s recognition of the Moroccan character of the southern provinces will not take long and will have a great impact on many Anglo-Saxon countries”she added.
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