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UN Approves Resolution Backing Morocco’s Plan For Western Sahara
UN Approves Resolution Backing Morocco’s Plan For Western Sahara
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution supporting Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara.
The UNSC, in a United States-drafted text, on Friday called for the parties to engage in negotiations based on an autonomy plan first presented by Morocco to the UN in 2007.
According to the resolution, a genuine autonomy for Western Sahara under Moroccan sovereignty could be the most feasible solution to Rabat’s 50-year conflict with the Algeria-backed Polisario Front.
The US, which sponsored the resolution, led 11 countries in voting in favour, while three countries – Russia, China and Pakistan – abstained. Algeria, Polisario’s primary benefactor, opposed the measure.
Mike Waltz, the US ambassador to the UN, said the vote had been “historic” and would “build on the momentum for a long, long overdue peace in Western Sahara”.
“We urge all parties to use the coming weeks to come to the table and engage in serious discussions.We believe regional peace is possible this year, and we will make every effort to facilitate progress,” Waltz said.
Amar Bendjama, the Algerian ambassador to the UN, said that while the resolution was an improvement on previous iterations, it “still has a number of shortcomings”.
“It is below, below, I say, of the expectations and the legitimate aspirations of the people of Western Sahara, represented by the Polisario Front,” he said.
Although Friday’s vote was divided, the resolution offers the strongest endorsement yet for Morocco’s plan to keep sovereignty over the territory, which also has backing from most European Union members and a growing number of African allies.
The resolution refers to Morocco’s plan as a basis for negotiation as with similar resolutions in previous years, the text makes no mention of a referendum on self-determination that includes independence as an option.
The 11 council members vote in favour of the resolution also renewed for one year the mandate of the UN peacekeeping force in Western Sahara, known as the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO)
Western Sahara, a tract of desert the size of Britain, has been the scene of Africa’s longest-running territorial dispute since colonial power Spain left in 1975 and Morocco annexed the territory.
Morocco considers the territory its own while the Polisario Front seeks to establish an independent state called the Sahrawi Republic.
Morocco’s autonomy proposal would establish a local legislative, executive and judicial authority for Western Sahara elected by its residents, while Rabat would retain jurisdiction over defence, foreign affairs and religious matters.
United Nations Security Council (UNSC) has adopted a resolution supporting Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara. The UNSC, in a United States-drafted text, on Friday called for the parties to engage
