The growing international support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal

Many countries from different continents have expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal. Picture: File

Many countries from different continents have expressed support for Morocco’s autonomy proposal. Picture: File

Published Jul 16, 2024

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Many countries from different continents have expressed support for Morocco’s the autonomy proposal, which the kingdom presented as the only valuable solution to the issue that has been pending for decades.

Back to time, Morocco presented its “initiative to negotiate an autonomy regime for the Sahara region” on April 11, 2007, in response to calls by the UN Security Council, which is considering this conflict, with a view to reaching a final political solution to it.

Indeed, this initiative has since 2007 gained a great deal of support from different and important international stakeholders that described that proposal as a peaceful way to end the conflict, while remaining true to the spirit of win-win paradigm.

Thus in 2024, some countries have recently joined or reiterated the viability of the Morocco’s proposal for a peaceful solution to this artificial conflict.

To start with, the Lebanon's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, M Abdallah Bou Habib, highlighted the deep-rooted and long-standing ties of brotherhood uniting his country with the Kingdom of Morocco and its people, reaffirming Lebanon’s constant stance in favour of the kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Germany has also renewed its support for Morocco’s Autonomy Plan, describing it as a “good basis and a very good foundation” to end the dispute over the Western Sahara region.

This position has been conveyed by the German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during the press conference that following the first session of bilateral dialogue between Germany and Morocco held on Friday June 28, 2024 in Berlin.

Indeed, during this press conference, Baerbock reiterated Germany’s support for the UN-led political process aimed at achieving an agreed upon political solution to the Sahara dispute.

Same as Germany, Slovenia hailed the Moroccan autonomy plan as a good basis for reaching a final and consensual solution to the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara, under the auspices of the UN Secretary-General and his Personal Envoy.

This position was expressed in the joint statement issued at the end of the talks, held in Rabat, between Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita, and Slovenian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign and European Affairs, Tanja Fajon.

In this statement, Slovenia reiterated its country’s constant support for the UN-led process and welcomed, in this regard, Morocco’s serious and credible efforts to reach a political, realistic, pragmatic, lasting, mutually acceptable and compromise-based solution to the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.

Not only in Europe has the support grown stronger. Brazil has also expressed once again its support for the autonomy initiative that Morocco is proposing in the Sahara as the only realistic and credible solution to this dispute.

Speaking about this consistent position, the famous Brazilian author, M Ricardo Sanchez Serra, noted that his country’s stand concerning the Sahara issue is testament to the growing support for the Moroccan autonomy proposal as adopted by the United States, Spain, Germany, France and almost all Arab countries.

The Star