France shows its support for Morocco's sovereignty plan over Western Sahara
"I recall the historical, clear and constant support of France for the Moroccan autonomy plan", were the declarations of the French permanent representative ambassador to the UN (United Nations), Nicolas de Rivière, before the UN Security Council. This resolution confirms the priorities of the Moroccan Autonomy Initiative to resolve the regional conflict in the Sahara.
The Kingdom of Morocco welcomes with "satisfaction" the adoption of Resolution 2703 of the United Nations Security Council on 30 October 2023 on the question of the Moroccan Sahara. The resolution extends the mandate of MINURSO for one year, until the end of October 2024. The adoption of this resolution comes in the wake of the positive momentum of the expedition led by King Mohamed VI.
The growing international support of almost 100 countries for Morocco's autonomous initiative, the opening of more than 30 consulates general in Laayoune and Dakhla and that more than 84% of UN member states do not recognise the Polisario Front and placing the region in the context of a new development model for the southern provinces reinforces the approach recommended by the Kingdom to address this issue, as well as territorial economic and social development.
"France welcomes the adoption of the resolution extending MINURSO's mandate for one year," said De Rivière, recalling that France "fully supports" the efforts of the UN Secretary-General's Special Representative before the roundtable resumes. "France urges all parties to reach a pragmatic, honest and sustainable solution based on compromise," he added.
The French diplomat hailed the work of MINURSO, which "plays an important role in ensuring stability in the region and is involved in creating the conditions for the resumption of political consultations," while recalling France's concern about violations of the ceasefire regime.
In his latest annual report to the Sahara Security Council, the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres, condemned the repeated violations and obstructions by the Polisario Front on the freedom of movement and the operational and logistical activities of MINURSO. Guterres condemned Polisario restrictions that prevent the UN mission from maintaining secure and reliable logistics and supply chains in its operational bases, warning that these obstacles directly threaten MINURSO's ability to sustain itself on the ground.
The resolution clearly defined the parties to the political process that must accept political, legal and moral responsibility in the search for a final solution to the regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara. In particular, it cited Algeria six times, as well as Morocco, confirming that Algeria is an important party to this artificial conflict. The new resolution also established the "Round Table" as the only framework for a political process involving actors directly concerned, especially in Algeria. Finally, the Security Council confirmed that the final political solution can only be "a genuine, practical and sustainable political solution based on compromise".
To these parameters was added the Security Council's support for Morocco's autonomy plan, which was described as "serious and credible". In this context, many countries around the world have expressed their support for this initiative as an important basis for resolving regional conflicts. The new resolution also called for the Polisario to be disciplined for violating and restricting MINURSO's freedom of movement.
The Kingdom of Morocco pledged to support the UN Secretary General's efforts. States and individual representatives sought to revive the roundtable process to find a political solution based on Morocco's autonomy plan and strict respect for the Kingdom's territorial integrity and national sovereignty.