The Kingdom of Morocco reaffirms that it will remain true to its commitment "with composure, a sense of responsibility and firmness (...) to reach a political solution based on autonomy and nothing but autonomy in full respect for the kingdom's territorial integrity and national sovereignty."

   The Kingdom of Morocco, the press release said, has "taken note of the expiration of the mandate of ambassador Peter van Walsum, as a personal envoy of the United Nations' Secretary-General for the Sahara" and notes that Ban Ki-moon "appreciated the work done by Mr. Van Walsum who, thanks to the pertinence of his conclusions, the objectivity of his commitment as well as his command of the realities of the dispute and the functioning of the United Nations Organization, received unequivocal and repeated support from the Security Council and the Assembly General of the UN.”

    The press release recalled that the Security Council had, in particular, affirmed, in its resolution 1813 of April 30, 2008, unreserved support for the commitment of the Secretary-General and his personal envoy, following van Walsum’s declaration on April 21 before the Council, that “independence is an unrealistic option”, stressing that the Moroccan government has also noted that the UN Secretary-General “remains committed to offering the parties his good offices in order to ensure the effective implementation of the Security Council resolutions (1754, 1783 and 1813), that have become more and more explicit in their provisions, more specific in their content and more straightforward with regard to the parameters that are to govern the political process under way.”

    The press release went on to say that the Security Council had, indeed, established the preeminence of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, inasmuch as it has emphasized the importance of realism and the sense of compromise, two cardinal qualities of this initiative, and called for engaging in substantive negotiations on this basis. These elements must, naturally, be taken into account to pursue negotiations and secure the success of the process under way, the source added.

    “Confident of its rights, the Kingdom of Morocco will remain committed, with composure, a sense of responsibility and firmness, without regard to stalling maneuvers or attempted obstruction, to reaching a political solution based on autonomy and nothing but autonomy in full respect for the Kingdom’s territorial integrity and national sovereignty”, the ministry concluded.

Source: MAP
News and events on Western Sahara issue / Corcas