Since the issue was not progressing, the Moroccan initiative, formally presented last April to the UN Secretary-General, came to clarify the situation, which has lasted too long, and pave the way for dialogue to achieve a final political solution to the dispute over the Sahara, leading to a new dynamism.
Everybody knows what came after: the United Nations and the international community welcomed the Moroccan proposal and two rounds of negotiations were held and a third appointment is scheduled for January.
Respecting the international law and the objectives and principles of the United Nations Charter, the Moroccan initiative generated interest and opened up new perspectives, hens confusing the opponents of the kingdom’s territorial integrity.
For all these reasons, the Security Council immediately referred to the Moroccan proposal in its resolution (1754), adopted on April 30, acknowledging the "serious and credible efforts of Morocco to go ahead towards a solution" to the Sahara issue.
This resolution, which enshrines negotiations as the only means to achieve a final solution constitutes, according to many observers, a break with all previous proposals. The new text does not mention Baker Plan which proved to be sterile.
This break has been clearly confirmed by the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary-General to the Sahara, Peter Van Walsum, who admitted in a statement to the press few days before the adoption of this historic resolution, that the negotiation is an appropriate way to express self-determination.
Moreover, he has explicitly said that "self-determination does not necessarily mean independence."
Six months later, the Security Council reiterated its position by adopting, in October, its resolution (1783) whereby supporting the process of ongoing negotiations, and greeting, as in the previous text, the serious and credible efforts by Morocco.
At the United Nations, the Moroccan proposal was greeted by the Security Council and by all UN members through the unanimous adoption by the General Assembly in October at its 4th Commission and December of a resolution evolving in the same direction.
By virtue of this resolution, the member states of the UN have all held support to the process of ongoing negotiations and the new momentum in the Kingdom. In this resolution the states note "with satisfaction that the parties met during June 18-19 and August 10-11 2007 under the auspices of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary-General and in the presence of neighbouring countries, and that they have agreed to continue negotiations ".
By supporting the process of ongoing negotiations without mentioning the previous proposals and plans, the General Assembly joined the approach adopted by the Council, namely negotiations.
It constitutes a turning point, since, today, all UN bodies and the whole international community recognize the sterility of earlier plans and adopt the new approach; that is to seek, through negotiations, a political, lasting and mutually acceptable solution to this artificial conflict, which prolongs the tragedy of the populations sequestered in Tindouf, in Algeria, and impedes the construction of the Maghreb desired by all peoples of the region.
Source: MAP
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