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The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, responds in this way to Pretoria's attempts to influence the issue

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El ministro de Asuntos Exteriores marroquí, Nasser Bourita, en una conferencia de prensa - AFP/FADEL SENNA
Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita at a press conference - AFP/FADEL SENNA
Margarita Arredondas
Updated: 09/02/24

The Moroccan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nasser Bourita, has responded to the recent controversy concerning South Africa and its attempt to meddle in the Sahara issue. "South Africa was and will remain a marginal player in the Moroccan Sahara issue and a dissonant voice, without any influence or weight in this matter", Bourita declared in response to a question about this week's visit to South Africa of the UN Secretary General's personal envoy for the Sahara, Staffan de Mistura. 

In a press conference after a meeting of the Ministerial Segment of the High Level Conference on Middle Income Countries, the Moroccan diplomacy chief stressed that the current dynamics of the issue is marked by the growing number of withdrawals from the recognition of "the puppet entity" as well as the growing recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara and the support for the autonomy initiative by credible powers at the international level. 

Morocco's position on the Sahara, as Bourita indicated, is based on three non-negotiable points: the identification of the parties affected by the regional conflict over the Moroccan Sahara, the identification of the round tables as the sole framework of the UN process, and the confirmation of the autonomy initiative within the framework of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom as the only solution to the artificial conflict. 

"These three elements constitute the fundamental determinant of Morocco's action and its interaction with the international parties and with the UN Secretary General's personal envoy. When they are transgressed, Morocco takes appropriate measures," he said, explaining that the Kingdom deals with the UN envoys respecting the principles of transparency, consultation and coordination for the success of this process. 

For its part, South Africa, which has adopted a negative position on the Sahara question for twenty years, has neither the aptitude nor the capacity to influence the course of this question, Bourita stressed. 

Cyril Ramaphosa, President of South Africa - PHOTO/FILE

The Moroccan minister clarified that this is demonstrated by its inability to influence decisions in its geographical environment, since 27 countries have since withdrawn their recognition of the "phantom entity", half of which are members of SADC and a third of which have opened consulates in Dakhla and Laayoune. 

"Although South Africa has been a member of the Security Council three times since it recognised the puppet entity, it has not been able to prevent the adoption of any of the Security Council resolutions, which support the entire autonomy initiative, identify the parties to the conflict and establish the roundtable process," he recalled. In this regard, Bourita also referred to the election of Morocco to the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council for the year 2024 by a large majority of votes, surpassing South Africa.  

AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY - Antonio Guterres, habla en la 78.ª Asamblea General de las Naciones Unidas en la sede de la ONU en la ciudad de Nueva York, el 19 de septiembre de 2023
Antonio Guterres speaks at the 78th United Nations General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York City - AFP/TIMOTHY A. CLARY

At the level of the African Union, the minister pointed out that South Africa tried to obstruct Morocco's return to the pan-African organisation as well as its accession to the Peace and Security Council, even though the Kingdom has been strongly present for six years. 

Tags:
Morocco Western Sahara Politics Morocco South Africa Sahara
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