By: Napoleon Ato Kittoe
Rabat – His Majesty King Mohammed VI, accompanied by HRH Crown Prince Moulay El Hassan and HRH Prince Moulay Rachid, presided over the opening of the first session of the fourth legislative year of the 11th Parliament in Rabat last Friday.
On this occasion, His Majesty the King delivered a speech before the members of the two Houses of Parliament, in which the Sovereign referred to the latest developments in the Moroccan Sahara issue, “considered by all Moroccans as their first national Cause”.
His Majesty recalled that he had affirmed, upon his accession to the Throne, his firm intention to move from the management phase to a dynamic of change, both internally and externally, covering all aspects of the issue (social, economic and cultural development), positioning the region as an axis of communication and exchange between Morocco and its African depths.
In this sense, Morocco has regained the initiative on the Sahara issue, by imposing a new dynamic of change on the international scene.
The Moroccan Sahara is now at the heart of the strategic continental initiatives launched by His Majesty the King, namely the Morocco-Nigeria gas pipeline, the Atlantic African States Process, and the Royal Initiative to promote access to the Atlantic Ocean for the countries of the Sahel.
The royal approach has, over the years, borne fruit, which has been manifested by the isolation of the separatist entity on the international scene; 164 out of 193 UN member states no longer recognize it, representing 85% of the international community. More than 112 countries, including ¾ of African countries, support the autonomy initiative under Moroccan sovereignty. 28 countries and one regional organization (Organization of Eastern Caribbean States-OECS) have opened Consulates General in Laayoune and Dakhla, thus expressing their support for Moroccan sovereignty.
In Europe, broad support for the autonomy initiative has evolved in recent years, including the majority of EU member countries.
To this end, His Majesty the King expressed his ‘warmest thanks and deepest gratitude to France and to His Excellency President Emmanuel Macron for this outspoken support for the Moroccan Sahara’. This decisive development in the French position meets the aspirations of His Majesty the King, who has created the conditions for rebuilding the foundations of the exceptional partnership to give it a new dimension.
As a major country, a permanent member of the UN Security Council and recognized as an influential player on the international scene, France’s decision to consider the Autonomy Initiative as the sole basis for the settlement of this artificial regional conflict, emanates from its in-depth knowledge of the nature and foundations of this regional conflict. Paris has a unique historical background; it knows the issue in depth, both historically and legally; it knows better than anyone the authenticity of Morocco’s rights.
This change in France’s position supports the efforts made within the framework of the United Nations. It is a game-changer, because it is a permanent member of the Security Council; it intends to act in accordance with this position nationally and internationally (as the French President emphasized in his letter).
This international dynamic concerns all continents, and all regions within each continent: Southern Europe, Nordic Europe, Western Europe, Central and Eastern Europe, the Arab world (with the exception of Algeria), West, East, Central and Southern Africa, North and South America, as well as Asia.
In conclusion, the Sovereign asserted that “the next stage requires from all greater mobilization and vigilance in order to consolidate our country’s position in the long term”, calling on all the country’s vital forces, namely official diplomacy, as well as parliamentary and partisan diplomacy, among others, to double their efforts to further explain the foundations of the Kingdom’s position to those countries that continue to go against the logic of the law and deny the facts of history.
