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Morocco: monarch insists on settling Sahara conflict according to autonomy plan

November 24, 2022 at 11:49 am

Morocco’s King Mohamed VI in Rabat, Morocco on 17 November 2020 [FADEL SENNA/AFP/Getty Images]

Morocco’s King Mohammed VI reaffirmed yesterday his wish to “settle the Sahara region dispute on the basis of the Autonomy Plan within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom,” the official Moroccan News Agency has reported.

The Royal Court released his statement after the Moroccan monarch received UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres at the royal palace in Rabat. He affirmed the Kingdom’s support for the efforts of the Secretary-General and his envoy for the Sahara region, Staffan de Mistura, as well as for the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), in monitoring the ceasefire in the region.

Rabat proposes expanded autonomy in Western Sahara under its sovereignty, while the Polisario Front calls for a referendum on self-determination, a proposal supported by Algeria, which hosts refugees from the region.

Guterres praised the Kingdom’s constant and constructive contributions to global peace. “Morocco is contributing to the maintenance and consolidation of peace, the strengthening of stability and the promotion of development, especially in Africa,” said the UN official.

He expressed his gratitude to King Mohammed VI for the success of the ninth global forum of the UN Alliance of Civilisations (UNAOC), which was held in Fez on Tuesday and Wednesday. It was the first time that the UNAOC has been held in an African country. Fifty countries participated at the ministerial level.

Morocco: Autonomy initiative is best for the Western Sahara people