The Alawite kingdom successfully defends its formula of broad autonomy for the Saharawi region under Moroccan sovereignty

Samir Bennis: “Marruecos continúa apegado al proceso político liderado por la ONU en la soberanía del Sáhara”

photo_camera Samir Bennis

In the last programme of 'De Cara al Mundo' we connected from Washington with Samir Bennis, director of Morocco World News, who analysed the speech given by the King of Morocco Mohammed VI on the occasion of the 46th anniversary of the Green March and the support for the Moroccan formula of broad autonomy for Western Sahara under Alawi sovereignty. 

It seems that Mohammed VI is betting big on the culmination of the process to end the conflict in the Sahara... 

To the chagrin of the Algerian regime, the King of Morocco has sent a message of wisdom and calm, showing that Morocco is sure of itself and its legitimacy. Morocco is an assertive country that has no intention of being swayed by a regime that is losing more and more of its legitimacy by the day, and remains determined to make further diplomatic progress. Another noteworthy aspect of the speech was the King's categorical statement that Morocco is not negotiating its sovereignty over the Sahara, as this is non-negotiable, but that it is seeking a realistic, practicable, lasting and mutually agreed political solution under the auspices of the United Nations and in accordance with the resolutions adopted by the Security Council. This has been the message and it has not only been addressed to Algeria, but also to the Polisario and certain sectors of Western public opinion that advocate the right to self-determination through the referendum. For Morocco this is a debate that is already over, it is in its own land and is developing it, dedicating billions of dollars to its development and transformation into a platform for trade between Morocco and the rest of Africa. 

Samir Bennis

Does Morocco continue to support the UN political process? 

Of course, this has been another of the keys given by Mohammed VI, Morocco continues to be attached to the political process led by the UN and stresses the commitment to work with the Secretary General. With this position, the Moroccan government has exposed the Algerian regime, which weeks before the adoption of the resolution tried to put pressure on the Security Council to change the parameters of the political process. Algeria wanted the resolution not to mention its country and, furthermore, to include the word referendum, which has been removed from all resolutions for more than 19 years. The day after the resolution was adopted, Algeria issued a very strong and highly inflammatory communiqué attacking the UN. 

Samir Bennis

A message in the complete opposite direction to Morocco's...  

Mohamed VI's message is one of commitment to the Secretary General and the Security Council and is directed towards the International Commission, pointing out that while Algeria is doing all it can to cause instability and try to generate a war through the Polisario Front, Morocco remains firm in its attachment to peace. Morocco believes in the UN-led political process and is undeterred by Algeria's attempts to drag the country into a war. 

Samir Bennis

What repercussions has this speech had in the United States? 

I believe that now they are no longer fooled and know that American recognition is a fait accompli, and that this will soon lead to other international powers following in their footsteps. No matter what Algeria does and no matter how much it tries to give false readings, which do not reflect the spirit of the political process launched by the UN since 2007, Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara is recognised. Moreover, there is a growing consensus that a solution to the Sahara conflict can only be found through negotiation. The commitment must be from all parties, including Algeria, in a realistic manner supported by UN Security Council resolutions, especially after 2018. I believe that American recognition is an issue that has been settled.

Samir Bennis interview on 'De Cara al Mundo': https://www.telemadrid.es/programas/de-cara-al-mundo/cara-mundo-9-2395650449--20211112113532.html

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