DIPLOMACY
At 49th anniversary of the Green March, Morocco reaffirms its right on Western Sahara
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI has called on the United Nations to assume responsibility and spell out the major difference between the real, legitimate world – represented by Morocco in its Sahara.
The monarch made the call at the 49th anniversary of the glorious Green March – an annual event that celebrates Moroccans’ march against the Spanish colonization of Morocco’s southern provinces.
The Green March was a mass demonstration in November 1975, coordinated by the Moroccan government and military, to force Spain to hand over the disputed, autonomous semi-metropolitan Province of Spanish Sahara to Morocco.
In a speech delivered on Wednesday, King Mohammed VI recalled that the peaceful, popular march enabled Morocco to recover the Moroccan Sahara.
“It also strengthened the bond between that region’s inhabitants and their motherland.”
Since then, Morocco has been able to establish tangible facts on the ground as well as an irreversible reality rooted in law, legitimacy, commitment and responsibility, as evidenced by the following:
“Firstly: the strong attachment of our sons and daughters in the Sahara to their Moroccan identity, and their commitment to the nation’s sacred, immutable values, in keeping with the bond of the Bei’a, which has existed throughout history between the inhabitants of the Sahara and the kings of Morocco.
“Secondly: the progress, security and stability existing in the Moroccan Sahara.
“Thirdly: growing international recognition of the Sahara as a Moroccan territory, and the broad support the Autonomy Initiative has been receiving.”
Continuing, the monarch remarked that “parallel to this natural, legitimate situation, there is, sadly, another world disconnected from reality – a world still feeding on the illusions of the past and clinging to outdated theories and claims:
“As a result, there are some who demand a referendum, despite that option being discarded by the United Nations and the impossibility of implementing it; at the same time, the proponents of that position refuse to allow a census of the people detained in the Tindouf camps, using them as hostages, keeping them in deplorable, humiliating conditions, and depriving them of the most basic rights.
“And some exploit the Sahara issue to secure access to the Atlantic Ocean.
“To them I say this: We do not refuse such as a prospect. As everyone knows, Morocco has proposed an international initiative to facilitate the Sahel countries’ access to the Atlantic Ocean, within the framework of partnership and cooperation. The aim being to achieve shared progress for the benefit of all peoples in the region.
And there are those who exploit the Sahara issue to deflect attention from their many internal problems.
“Still, others seek to manipulate certain legal aspects in order to serve narrow political goals.
“To them as well, I say this: Morocco’s partnerships and legal obligations will never be at the expense of its territorial integrity or its national sovereignty.”
More countries are putting their weight behind Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara as France becomes the latest to do so.
In a statement released Tuesday by the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs following a meeting between the French Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, and Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates Nasser Bourita, France reaffirmed its “unwavering” position on the issue of the Moroccan Sahara.
The statement reiterates the position expressed by President Emmanuel Macron to King Mohammed VI in his letter dated July 30, 2024, emphasizing that “for France, the present and future of Western Sahara lie within the framework of Moroccan sovereignty,” while recalling the “unwavering nature of France’s position” and its commitment to “act consistently with this position at both the national and international levels.”
Furthermore, the French Minister reiterated France’s “clear and consistent support for the autonomy plan under Moroccan sovereignty,” describing it as “the only framework within which this issue should be resolved” and stressing that it is “the sole basis” for reaching a political solution, according to the statement.
Noting the “growing international consensus” in support of Morocco’s autonomy initiative, Jean-Noël Barrot stated that France intends to fully contribute to this momentum.
Additionally, France reaffirmed its commitment “to support Morocco’s significant efforts in promoting economic and social development” in the southern provinces of the Kingdom, highlighting the various measures taken in this regard and expressing its willingness to continue this dynamic, according to the same source.
The United States has again reaffirmed Morocco’s sovereignty over the Western Sahara. This came up in a communication by US President Donald Trump to the Moroccan monarch, King Mohammed VI.
At a meeting on Tuesday in Washington between Morocco’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Nasser Bourita, and U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the latter reiterated that “the United States recognizes Moroccan sovereignty over [the] Sahara.”
Earlier, during a phone conversation in December 2020 between His Majesty King Mohammed VI and the President of the United States, Donald Trump, the U.S. President informed the Sovereign of the issuance of a presidential proclamation, an act with undeniable legal and political weight and immediate effect, announcing the decision of the United States to recognize the full sovereignty of the Kingdom of Morocco over the entire Moroccan Sahara region.
The head of American diplomacy also reiterated that the U.S. “supports Morocco’s serious, credible, and realistic Autonomy Proposal as the only basis for a just and lasting solution to the dispute,” Spokesperson for the United States Department of State, Tammy Bruce, said.
Marco Rubio also reiterated that the U.S. “continues to believe that genuine autonomy under Moroccan sovereignty is the only feasible solution.”
In this respect, he stated that the U.S. President is “urging for the parties to engage in discussions without delay, using Morocco’s Autonomy Proposal as the only framework, to negotiate a mutually acceptable solution.”
The Secretary of State noted that “the United States would facilitate progress toward this aim,” the Spokesperson concluded.
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In about two years from now, the United States will mark the 250th anniversary of the country getting its first international recognition.
On December 1, 2027, it will be 250 years since the Kingdom of Morocco recognised the US, becoming the first country to recognize the United States of America.
To mark the occasion, a resolution has been introduced into the U.S. House of Representatives that officially marks the upcoming date of December 1, 2027 date.
The 250th anniversary is considered “a milestone in one of the longest-standing diplomatic relationships in United States history.”.
According to reports from Maghreb Insider, the bill was proposed by Rep. Brad Schneider (IL-10) and Joe Wilson, the Representative from South Carolina and referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs.
The resolution reaffirms a great many long-standing bilateral relations including everything from how “Moroccan-American communities contribute to the cultural diversity of the United States and maintain deep connections to their heritage; to how Morocco remains the only African country with a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the United States, to the United States and Morocco cooperate closely on regional security, counterterrorism efforts, and military coordination, including participation in joint military exercises such as African Lion.”
The bill sums up by saying that the U.S. supports all efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary and the lead-up to 2027, highlighting the “historical and strategic importance of the United States-Morocco alliance.”
This resolution is in the first stage of the legislative process. It will typically be considered by the committee next before it is possibly sent on to the House or Senate as a whole.
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