The Western Sahara: the search for a solution
Last Thursday Morocco withdrew its confidence in the UN Secretary General's Special Respresntative for Western Sahara Christopher Ross.Has a new chapter opened in the dispute or has the procress ground to a halt?
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/The-Western-Sah...
As Les Soir Echoes reflected this action has provoked a new intense diplomatic situation with many twists.UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon retiterated his confidence in Christopher Ross through his spokesman Martin Nesirky , however Mr Ross's projected visit to the region has been cancelled.
He is not the first UN Special Representative to have to leave the scene, James Baker and Peter van Walsum have preceded him. For the moment he remains as the Special Representative and further reaction from the
UN is awaited.
In truth this is not just about Christopher Ross but also Ban-Ki Moon himself accused Morocco of spying on Minurso and interfering with its mission.Morocco rejected this and suggestions that Minurso should have a human rights role in the Sahara whilst ignoring human rights violations in the Polisario Tindouf camps.
MAP noted that in a program by TV channel “Al Jazeera”, Communication Minister and government spokesman, Mustapha El Khalfi, called for serious and real talks based on the Moroccan initiative to grant broad autonomy to the southern provinces, as a political solution of “no winner, no loser”.
Morocco's autonomy initiative has won widespread international support.The minister said that Morocco took this decision after it made sure that the informal talks reached a dead end, under the aegis of Christopher Ross, following 9 sets of talks that spanned over three years without making any headway.
The negotiations have always run up against the refusal of both parties to change their positions and the question does arise whether the dispute is resolvable through the UN negotiation process.However the Minister called for a new special representative to conduct the talks.
Morocco will continue to cooperate with the Secretary General of the UN and MINURSO for a solution to the Sahara issue, afterwithdrawing its confidence in Christopher Ross, the Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and cooperation, Youssef Amrani said on Monday.
"Morocco will remain committed, serious and good faith, initiatives and UN efforts to overcome the deadlock and end the current situation, based on the autonomy initiative and in full compliance the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom, "said Mr Amrani in response to a question in the House of Representatives on developments in the Sahara issue,according to a report in Aufait.The Minister reiterated that for Morocco, the Sahara is a "matter of national sovereignty and territorial unity".
Morocco has never hesitated to act in its national interest and has firmly done so on this occasion.This is not a surprise given the deterioration of security in the neighbouring Sahel in terms of the situation in Northern Mali which is now a base for terrorism drugs and weapons smuggling and kidnapping of European nationals. This has a direct impact on the Polisario camps in Tindouf where young Sahwrai's are vulnerable to terrorism organisations such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).They and the young unemployed people in Niger,and Chad are all under threat.Under these circumstances and given recent arrests by security forces in Morocco of Al Qaeda offshoots equipped with weapons the urgency of the situation has increased.
Anouar Boukhars noted in a paper for the Carnegie Endowment website in March 2012, that "AQIM and its offshoots in the Sahel are already working to expand their partnership with smugglers from massive refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, and to enlist recruits among the disenchanted youth there. If AQIM strengthened its alliance of convenience with the Polisario, the movement that has long fought for Western Sahara’s independence, a formidable terrorist organization could emerge."
Events in the Sahel are changing the perameters of the Western Sahara situation and it also refelects the fact that the UN itself is becoming less able to influence events on the ground in the Sahel along with the United States and the EU.
Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane reflected that Algeria could solve the Sahara issue in a matter of weeks if it was so inclined. Unfortunately this does not seem to be a likely outcome in the immediate future although in the long term an Algerian Moroccan agreement may perhaps prove a more effective resolution than the prolonged UN process. In terms of the growing regional security crisis it would make sense if the two countries could resolve the issue between them.
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton deplored obstacles to Maghreb integration, including closure of Moroccan-Algerian border at a State Department Summit entitled : "Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society 2012 Summit."
A few months ago the prospect of an agreement between Algeria and Morocco raised real hopes of greater Maghreb intergration and a revived Arab Maghreb Union which is stalled at the moment in large part because of differences over the Western Sahara.
He is not the first UN Special Representative to have to leave the scene, James Baker and Peter van Walsum have preceded him. For the moment he remains as the Special Representative and further reaction from the
UN is awaited.
In truth this is not just about Christopher Ross but also Ban-Ki Moon himself accused Morocco of spying on Minurso and interfering with its mission.Morocco rejected this and suggestions that Minurso should have a human rights role in the Sahara whilst ignoring human rights violations in the Polisario Tindouf camps.
MAP noted that in a program by TV channel “Al Jazeera”, Communication Minister and government spokesman, Mustapha El Khalfi, called for serious and real talks based on the Moroccan initiative to grant broad autonomy to the southern provinces, as a political solution of “no winner, no loser”.
Morocco's autonomy initiative has won widespread international support.The minister said that Morocco took this decision after it made sure that the informal talks reached a dead end, under the aegis of Christopher Ross, following 9 sets of talks that spanned over three years without making any headway.
The negotiations have always run up against the refusal of both parties to change their positions and the question does arise whether the dispute is resolvable through the UN negotiation process.However the Minister called for a new special representative to conduct the talks.
Morocco will continue to cooperate with the Secretary General of the UN and MINURSO for a solution to the Sahara issue, afterwithdrawing its confidence in Christopher Ross, the Minister Delegate at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and cooperation, Youssef Amrani said on Monday.
"Morocco will remain committed, serious and good faith, initiatives and UN efforts to overcome the deadlock and end the current situation, based on the autonomy initiative and in full compliance the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom, "said Mr Amrani in response to a question in the House of Representatives on developments in the Sahara issue,according to a report in Aufait.The Minister reiterated that for Morocco, the Sahara is a "matter of national sovereignty and territorial unity".
Morocco has never hesitated to act in its national interest and has firmly done so on this occasion.This is not a surprise given the deterioration of security in the neighbouring Sahel in terms of the situation in Northern Mali which is now a base for terrorism drugs and weapons smuggling and kidnapping of European nationals. This has a direct impact on the Polisario camps in Tindouf where young Sahwrai's are vulnerable to terrorism organisations such as Al Qaeda in the Islamic Maghreb (AQIM).They and the young unemployed people in Niger,and Chad are all under threat.Under these circumstances and given recent arrests by security forces in Morocco of Al Qaeda offshoots equipped with weapons the urgency of the situation has increased.
Anouar Boukhars noted in a paper for the Carnegie Endowment website in March 2012, that "AQIM and its offshoots in the Sahel are already working to expand their partnership with smugglers from massive refugee camps in Tindouf, Algeria, and to enlist recruits among the disenchanted youth there. If AQIM strengthened its alliance of convenience with the Polisario, the movement that has long fought for Western Sahara’s independence, a formidable terrorist organization could emerge."
Events in the Sahel are changing the perameters of the Western Sahara situation and it also refelects the fact that the UN itself is becoming less able to influence events on the ground in the Sahel along with the United States and the EU.
Moroccan Prime Minister Abdelilah Benkirane reflected that Algeria could solve the Sahara issue in a matter of weeks if it was so inclined. Unfortunately this does not seem to be a likely outcome in the immediate future although in the long term an Algerian Moroccan agreement may perhaps prove a more effective resolution than the prolonged UN process. In terms of the growing regional security crisis it would make sense if the two countries could resolve the issue between them.
US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton deplored obstacles to Maghreb integration, including closure of Moroccan-Algerian border at a State Department Summit entitled : "Strategic Dialogue with Civil Society 2012 Summit."
A few months ago the prospect of an agreement between Algeria and Morocco raised real hopes of greater Maghreb intergration and a revived Arab Maghreb Union which is stalled at the moment in large part because of differences over the Western Sahara.
Source : https://www.marocafrik.com/english/The-Western-Sah...