Western Sahara: without giving in, Morocco says it is determined to “turn the page” of the conflict

Published on : 11/10/2021 – 11:04

Morocco is determined to “definitively turn the page” of the conflict in Western Sahara but without giving up its “legitimate rights” in this disputed territory with the Sahrawi separatists supported by Algeria, affirmed, Tuesday, November 9, its Minister of Affairs. foreigners, Nasser Bourita.

“Morocco remains constructively committed to finding a solution to this artificial regional conflict, resulting from the opposition of a neighboring state (Algeria) to its legitimate rights to the completion of its territorial integrity,” he said. he declared in front of the senators in Rabat.

But “Morocco does not negotiate the ‘moroccanity’ of the Sahara [occidental] nor his rights, ”he insisted, in the midst of a diplomatic crisis with the Algerian neighbor on the issue of the former Spanish colony.

Western Sahara is considered a “non-self-governing territory” by the UN in the absence of a final settlement. Rabat, which controls nearly 80% of the territory, proposes an autonomy plan under its sovereignty. The separatists of the Polisario Front continue to demand a self-determination referendum.

In a speech on Saturday, King Mohammed VI pleaded in favor of “a peaceful settlement” of the conflict and reaffirmed “Morocco’s commitment to the political process led by the UN”.

Addressing the kingdom’s “international partners”, the monarch however warned that “Morocco will not engage, with those who display vague or ambivalent positions, any economic or commercial approach that would exclude the Moroccan Sahara”.

European justice recently inflicted a setback on Morocco and the EU by canceling two commercial partnership agreements concerning Western Sahara, at the request of the Polisario.

“A spirit of realism and compromise”

In addition, Italy, whose President Sergio Mattarella paid a visit to Algeria this weekend, praised “the serious and credible efforts carried out by Morocco within the framework of the United Nations”, according to a joint statement released to the United Nations. ‘from a telephone interview between Nasser Bourita and his Italian counterpart, Luigi Di Maio.

“Italy encourages all parties to continue their engagement in a spirit of realism and compromise”, underlines this text.

During his visit to Algiers, the Italian president called, in an interview with a local newspaper, to “take into account the rights of the Saharawi people” in order to reach “a fair and lasting solution” to the conflict.

On Tuesday, the Moroccan and Italian ministers “reaffirmed their great interest in maintaining and strengthening the legal framework which binds Morocco to the European Union, which is essential to guarantee the continuation and stability of their strategic partnership”, according to the press release. .

In addition, they “marked the importance of the initiatives of the Council of the EU relating to fisheries and agricultural agreements between Morocco and the European Union”.

Morocco and the EU are bound by an association agreement, signed in 1996 and entered into force on March 1, 2000, which includes Western Sahara. This partnership provides for the application of preferential tariffs to the territory’s products and stipulates that the latter benefit from trade preferences.

For Rabat, the most important part of this partnership relates to the export of its agricultural products to Europe. For the 27, one of the main challenges relates to the deployment of the European fishing fleet in the adjacent waters of Western Sahara.

With AFP