"This is a wise and responsible decision tending toward an overall reconsideration of the process of settling the Sahara issue," said El Otmani before the commission of the Exterior, national defense, Islamic Affairs and Moroccans living abroad in the House of Representatives. According to the minister, "the Moroccan initiative follows a comprehensive and objective assessment on this issue".

 Discussion session at the Foreign Affairs Committee in the Chamber of Deputies

 In a presentation at the meeting devoted to examining the evolution of the Sahara issue, El Otmani noted that Morocco wants to give new impetus to the process to resolve this dispute in order to break the deadlock and change the status quo, based on the Moroccan autonomy initiative and with full respect for sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
 
Morocco, which has responded positively to UN efforts to achieve this political process is committed in good faith in negotiations relating thereto, determined to continue on this path led to a strong desire to reach a political consensus, realistic solution and ultimately on the basis of the autonomy proposal, he said.
 
The withdrawal of confidence in Christopher Ross, the minister said, has followed a comprehensive and objective evaluation of the process of informal talks, particularly the last round of negotiations and adoption of Resolution 2044.
 
This assessment, he said, concluded that the process of informal talks was eroded after holding nine rounds of informal negotiations especially since they were dominated by minor issues. In this regard, he said that Morocco had proposed to hold only one or two preparatory meetings to formal negotiations.
 
According to the minister, the evaluation identified a series of blunders in the last report of the Secretary General to the Sahara, which was unbalanced and incoherent. Similarly, he added, the personal envoy went beyond its mandate by trying to influence the content of the UN resolution and has abandoned objectivity and neutrality required, two basic conditions for the mediation process.
 
Based on the evaluation exercise, he said, Morocco has informed the UN Secretary-General of his position with regard to Ross, as well as number of brotherly and friendly countries.
 
In addition, Mr. El Otmani stressed that resolution 2044 was "balanced, fair and acceptable" for Morocco in general, thanks to the efforts of the Moroccan diplomacy to deal with maneuvers of opponents of the territorial integrity of the Kingdom .
 
This resolution contains several positive aspects and achievements for Morocco at the political level, including extension of MINURSO mission until 30 April 2013 without acceding to the claims of Morocco’s opponents, who aspired to deviate MINURSO from its mission initial.
 
The resolution failed attempts by opponents of the territorial integrity of the kingdom, which aimed to weaken the Moroccan autonomy initiative by raising the issue of human rights in the Sahara, and praised the positive response of Morocco with the Security Council resolutions, in favor of opening two offices of the National Council of Human Rights in Laayoune and Dakhla.
 
The resolution, which underlines that a political solution remains the prelude to the conflict on the basis of further negotiations and intensifying meetings, welcomes the Moroccan autonomy initiative and does not mention referendum option, he noted.

On the humanitarian front, the minister stressed that the resolution called for the second consecutive year the UNHCR to review the operation of registering refugees in the Tindouf camps, noting that resolution 2044 is the result of efforts by the Moroccan diplomacy against the maneuvers of the personal envoy of UN Secretary General.
 
This resolution aborted  maneuvers by the opponents of Morocco’s territorial integrity, who tried to harm the credibility of the autonomy initiative to which Morocco remains attached as a single platform to end the conflict, continued the Minister.
 
After stressing that the Sahara issue remains a matter of national sovereignty and territorial integrity, Mr. El Otmani said his department is constantly vigilant and constantly monitors this issue in order to deal with any opponents’ maneuver.
 
The presidents and representatives of parliamentary groups hailed, at the beginning of the meeting, Morocco's decision to withdraw confidence in the personal envoy of UN Secretary General for the Sahara, Christopher Ross, calling for more vigilance to counter any attempt to undermine the territorial integrity of the Kingdom.
 
They emphasized the importance of involving all segments of Moroccan society (legislature, political parties, civil society, ..) in the defense of the national cause.

Debate on the negotiations situation over the Sahara

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