Speaking Friday before the members of the 4th Committee of the UN General Assembly, Hilale recalled that more than 90 UN member states have expressed strong support for this initiative as the only solution to this regional dispute, stressing that this international support is in line with the position of the Security Council which, in its 18 resolutions since 2007, has enshrined the Moroccan autonomy initiative as a serious and credible solution to this artificial conflict.
In addition to the transcontinental support for this initiative, the international recognition of the Moroccanness of the Sahara has gained momentum with the opening of 27 Consulates General in the Moroccan cities of Laayoune and Dakhla, said the ambassador, noting that three other countries have announced the imminent opening of their consulates in Dakhla, “which will certainly displease Algeria”.
The diplomat also recalled that the history of the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara is strongly linked to the colonization and decolonization by stages of the Kingdom of Morocco, noting that after partially recovering its independence in 1956, the Kingdom began negotiations with Spain, in accordance with the resolutions of the General Assembly and the Security Council, which led to the gradual recovery of its southern regions, namely Tarfaya in 1958, Sidi Ifni in 1969 and Sakia El Hamra and Oued Eddahab in 1975.
He also noted that the past year has seen two important and positive developments in the UN political process on the Moroccan Sahara issue: the appointment of the new Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General, Staffan de Mistura. In this regard, the ambassador said that during de Mistura’s visits to Rabat, Morocco reaffirmed its commitment to the exclusively UN political process, within the framework of the round table meetings.
The second major development is the adoption of Security Council Resolution 2602, which confirmed the exclusive parameters for the settlement of this regional dispute, namely a realistic, pragmatic, sustainable and compromise political solution, he said, noting that Algeria, the main party to this dispute, has rejected this resolution and refuses to take part in the roundtable process.
In addition, the ambassador Permanent Representative of Morocco to the UN highlighted the new development model of the southern provinces launched by His Majesty King Mohammed VI in 2015, saying that this innovative model has provided the region with structuring socio-economic projects, including the Dakhla Atlantic port, the largest in Africa in deep water, the building in Laâyoune of the largest bridge in Africa of almost 2 kilometers, in addition to the University of Medical and Pharmaceutical Sciences of Laâyoune, already operational. There are also several projects of ocean water desalination in Laayoune and Dakhla.
