The Ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the United Nations, Omar Hilale underlined, in New York, that the new Security Council resolution on the Sahara issue positions the Moroccan autonomy initiative as “the one and only basis ” for the negotiation of a political solution to this regional dispute within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
Speaking at a press briefing held following the adoption on Thursday of resolution 2756 extending the mandate of MINURSO for one year, Mr. Hilale affirmed that this new resolution “consecrates for the 17th year consecutively the preeminence of the Moroccan autonomy initiative qualifying it as a serious and credible effort and positioning it as the one and only basis for the negotiation of a political solution for the regional dispute within the framework of sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom”.
He noted that the resolution asks the Security Council to take into consideration the international dynamic and momentum for the benefit of the Moroccan autonomy initiative which enjoys the support of 20 members of the European Union, two permanent members of the Council of security and more than a hundred countries and regional and international organizations around the world.
The ambassador also noted that the Council, in its resolution, calls for the resumption of the political process, urging all parties to engage constructively.
“This appeal is addressed more particularly to Algeria which is cited five times, as a stakeholder because it opposes the political process and above all it has opposed the holding of round tables for three years” , insisted Mr. Hilale.
Noting that the Security Council urges the resumption of the ceasefire, the Moroccan diplomat indicated that the UN executive body calls, in this context, all parties to refrain from anything that is likely to compromise the political process.
This, according to the ambassador, is a new element in this resolution. “For the first time, the Security Council is introducing a direct link between the relaunch of the political process and respect for the ceasefire,” he noted.
Mr. Hilale also indicated that the Security Council insists, in its new resolution which extends the mandate of MINURSO until October 31, 2025, on the urgency and importance of cooperation with the High Commission of United Nations for Human Rights.
In this regard, he noted “particular appreciation for Morocco’s constant efforts in the promotion and protection of human rights in its Saharan provinces, through the role played by the National Human Rights Council and its regional representations in Laâyoune and Dakhla”.
Likewise, the Security Council recalls, according to the ambassador, its requirement for the registration of populations sequestered in the Tindouf camps, as well as its imperative to prevent the diversion of international humanitarian assistance by the armed separatist group “ polisario” and the Algerian Red Crescent, through the delivery of this aid directly to the beneficiaries, in accordance with the practices of international humanitarian organizations.
The ambassador, permanent representative of Morocco to the UN, finally pointed out that the analysis of any Security Council resolution cannot be done exclusively in the light of its preambular and operative provisions.
“It is also done in the light of its silences and this is currently the case with the total atony of the Security Council with regard to the intervention of the personal envoy of the UN SG for the Sahara Moroccan, Staffan de Mistura before the Security Council on October 16, 2024,” he explained, stressing that Mr. de Mistura’s intervention generated more confusion and questions than provided answers.
