Sahrawi Foreign Affairs regrets London’s stance and affirms:”No solution to the conflict outside the UN-African settlement plan”

The Sahrawi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Affairs stressed on Monday that the only solution to the conflict in Western Sahara is that based on the joint settlement plan between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity, expressing its regret over the United Kingdom’s recent stance supporting the so-called Moroccan “autonomy proposal”.

A statement from the Ministry said that it “took note of the joint statement between the United Kingdom and Morocco, especially the section related to Western Sahara”, noting that London “clarifies that it does not recognize any sovereignty of the Moroccan occupation state over Western Sahara”.

The United Kingdom also reaffirms the paramount importance of a rules-based international order and the fundamental principles of the United Nations Charter, as well as its support for the principle of respect for self-determination.

The Sahrawi diplomacy stressed that “the only consensual, practical, and reasonable solution is the joint settlement plan between the United Nations and the Organization of African Unity (currently the African Union) which was accepted by both parties to the conflict, namely the Polisario Front and Morocco, in 1988 and unanimously endorsed by the Security Council in 1990 and 1991”.

However, the statement added, the Ministry expresses its “deep regret and disappointment that the United Kingdom, as a permanent member of the Security Council, chose the so-called Moroccan ‘proposal’ in terms that contradict the United Kingdom’s traditional position on Western Sahara, which is a decolonization issue on the United Nations agenda since 1963”.

In this context, the Sahrawi Ministry expressed its hope that “the United Kingdom will be able to use its influence to encourage a serious UN peace process in Western Sahara that would enable the Sahrawi people to exercise their inalienable right to self-determination and independence, freely and democratically and without any military and administrative restrictions”.

It reiterated that the “proposal” promoted by the Moroccan occupation state “is nothing but a farce and a colonial maneuver whose sole aim is to ‘legitimize’ the illegal occupation of Western Sahara and deprive its people of their inalienable right to self-determination and independence”, noting that “all international and regional organizations and courts do not recognize any sovereignty of the Moroccan occupation state over Western Sahara”.

The Sahrawi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and African Affairs concluded by reaffirming the Polisario Front’s readiness “to engage positively in the UN-led peace process, and to contribute constructively to achieving a peaceful and lasting solution for the decolonization of Western Sahara, the last colony in Africa”, and at the same time “affirms the Sahrawi people’s firm determination and commitment to achieving their legitimate national aspirations for freedom and independence”.

Algeria had issued a statement regarding the new British position on the Western Sahara issue, which stated: “Algeria has taken note of the United Kingdom’s new position on the Western Sahara issue. Algeria expresses its regret that the United Kingdom supports the Moroccan autonomy plan.

This proposal, throughout the eighteen years since its submission, has not been presented to the Sahrawis as a basis for negotiation, nor has it ever been taken seriously by the UN envoys who have held this position. All of them have acknowledged that the Moroccan initiative is empty of content and unable to contribute to a serious and credible settlement of the conflict in Western Sahara”.

In contrast, Algeria notes that “the United Kingdom did not address the alleged Moroccan sovereignty over the territory of Western Sahara and did not provide any support for it, and thus it does not endorse the illegal occupation of this territory classified as a ‘non-self-governing territory’ in accordance with international legitimacy.

Algeria also notes that, on the occasion of the press conference, the British Secretary of State publicly and officially affirmed the United Kingdom’s adherence to the principle of the right to self-determination”.