Senegal Renews Support for Morocco's Autonomy Plan
'My country expresses its support for the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative as a compromise solution in accordance with international law, the United Nations Charter, and the various resolutions of the Security Council and the General Assembly,' Senegal's Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Diamane Diome, said.
He made his remarks during a regional seminar of the UN Special Committee on Decolonization held in Dili, Timor-Leste.
Ambassador Diome recalled the momentum Morocco has achieved over the past few years. Morocco's Autonomy Plan has garnered enormous international backing over the past decade, with the Senegalese diplomat noting that more than 60% of UN member states, including two permanent members of the Security Council, support the Moroccan proposal as the most viable path toward a lasting settlement of the Sahara question.
He also spoke enthusiastically of his country's decision to open a Consulate General in Morocco's southern provinces on April 5, 2021.
The Senegalese ambassador further commended Morocco's heavy investments in the region, recalling that King Mohammed VI instructed the deployment of massive development projects worth more than $10 billion to transform the region and locals' living standards.
Stressing the importance of Morocco's full respect for the ceasefire and commitment towards the UN-led political process, Senegal also urged all other parties to the Sahara dispute to refrain from any actions harmful to the political process.
He also expressed support for the efforts of the UN Secretary General and his envoy Staffan de Mistura, who aimed to revive the political process under the exclusive auspices of the UN.
He concluded his remarks by calling on all four parties, including Algeria, which frequently distances itself and refuses to shoulder responsibility in the dispute. In addition, Ambassador Diome emphasized the need to engage in the UN-led political process to find a mutually acceptable and agreed upon solution to the conflict.
Morocco's autonomy initiative is increasingly creating a robust international consensus around the centrality of political compromise as the most viable horizon for the Sahara.
The initiative has to date received the support of over 113 countries, with many nations describing it as the only feasible political solution to the Sahara conundrum.
More importantly, many countries that were once staunch supporters of the Polisario Front have also joined the chorus of support in favor of Morocco's position. Just this week, Kenya officially joined the growing list of countries that described Morocco's autonomy initiative as 'the only sustainable approach' to resolve the Western Sahara dispute. Tags: algeria western saharaSenegal and Morocco
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