The EU has voiced support for a just, realistic and enduring political solution to the Sahara issue in accordance with UN Security Council resolutions, particular resolution 2602, and hailed Morocco’s serious & credible efforts for resolving this regional conflict.
The European bloc stand on the Sahara has been clarified by Nabila Massrali, spokesperson of EU foreign policy chief, who set the record straight.
“As it has been repeatedly said by EU Foreign Policy Head Josep Borrell, the EU’s position is clear and consists of firmly supporting the efforts of UN Secretary General to reach a fair, realistic and lasting political solution, mutually acceptable to the Sahara issue, on the basis of compromise and in line with UN Security Council resolutions, in particular resolution 2602’’ adopted in October 2021, said the spokesperson.
Resolution 2602 of the UN Security Council confirms the “continuum” of the round-table process – with its modalities and its four participants: Morocco, Algeria, Mauritania, and the polisario – as the “one and only” framework for the settlement of the regional dispute over the Moroccan Sahara.
She affirmed that the EU’s position has been laid out in the EU-Morocco-Joint Political Declaration of June 2019, praising the serious and credible efforts made by Morocco for reaching a lasting solution to the Sahara issue.
The EU remains firmly committed to supporting UN Sahara envoy Staffan de Mistura, and encourages all parties to engage with him to resume the UN-led political process, she added, stressing the ”importance of preserving the stability of the region through more dialogue and a constructive approach”.
The Spokeswoman’s remarks, which come in the wake of recent statements by the EU diplomacy Chief to Spanish media, confirm once again that “the position of the EU is clear” and “had been detailed in the Joint Political Declaration between the EU and Morocco in June 2019.
In an interview published on Wednesday by EFE, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, stressed that the Bloc’s position on the Moroccan Sahara issue “is detailed in the 2019 Joint Declaration with Morocco.”
By referring favorably to Morocco’s serious and credible efforts, the EU is thus in line with the 18 resolutions of the UN Security Council, which have successively confirmed the pre-eminence of the Moroccan autonomy initiative, which is still and will remain the ultimate and final solution to this regional dispute.
Contrary to Algiers, Rabat says it remains attached to the political process of roundtables on the Sahara in line with resolution 2602, which calls for a political, realistic, feasible and lasting solution based on compromise”.