 The Kingdom of Lesotho has decided to suspend all its decisions and statements related to the Moroccan Sahara and so-called "SADR", foreign minister of Lesotho Lesego Makgothi announced on Tuesday in Rabat.
In a press briefing after a meeting with Moroccan peer Nasser Bourita, Lesotho's top official, who is on a visit to Morocco as special envoy of his country's prime minister, said that Lesotho decided to suspend all its decisions and statements related to the Moroccan Sahara and so-called "SADR" pending the outcome of the United Nations process.
Lesotho commits itself to a position of neutrality on the Sahara dispute, he said, adding that this position will be observed in regional, sub-regional and international meetings.
Lesotho also commits itself to actively support the political process led by the United Nations as the multilateral framework to find a realistic, practicable and enduring political solution to the question of Sahara, he noted.
This new position will be communicated to SADC and African Union, and Lesotho will act accordingly in regional and international fora, he underlined.
"Any different statement or document, be it before or after this official position, will be void and have no value," he underlined.
"The Kingdom of Lesotho expresses its sincere wish that its neutral position on the Sahara issue will give a strong signal to all parties that the kingdom of Lesotho stands alongside the International Community in their efforts to achieve a realistic, practicable and enduring political solution to this regional conflict," he explained.
Makgothi recalled that his country had announced, through a Note Verbale dated on October 4th, 2019, its sovereign decision to suspend all its decisions and statements related to the Sahara and "SADR".
He said that he regretted that this national position has been subjected to some misunderstandings. "I am here today to confirm and clarify my country's position," he explained.
This is an "important" or even "historic" visit for bilateral relations between Rabat and Maseru, said Bourita, welcoming this first visit by a foreign minister of Lesotho which provides the necessary clarifications in relation to the position of Lesotho on the question of the Moroccan Sahara.
Referring to the contradictory statements that had created "confusion" over the past days, Bourita was glad that his counterpart from Lesotho visited Morocco to "remove any ambiguity" related to his country's position, and clarify that the official position of Lesotho is "that of the suspension of all previous decisions" about the Moroccan Sahara.
This new position, he went on to say, "opens a new page in our bilateral relations", adding that he discussed with Makgothi the means of developing this relation within the framework of the African policy of HM King Mohammed VI as part of south-south cooperation between Morocco and African countries, including the SADC region.
This is a new page that confirms the positive momentum in Morocco's relations with the entire SADC region, said Bourita, noting that today, "more than half of SADC is adoping a constructive position on the question of the Moroccan Sahara".
Over the past three years, at least two countries have made clear their positions: Malawi in 2017 and Lesotho in 2019, in addition to other countries that have constructive positions on the Moroccan Sahara issue, said the minister.
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